Champion jockey Joao Moreira is keeping the faith in raider Satono Reve’s chances of halting the 19-race winning streak of the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising in Sunday’s (26 April) HK$24 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin.
Group 1-winning Satono Reve has had his chances before to topple Ka Ying Rising but, as others have found in the past, it’s one of the biggest challenges in racing.
Another of the champion sprinter’s opponents on Sunday, Helios Express, has also found the task beyond him in the 12 times they have met, finishing second to Ka Ying Rising eight times and third three times.
Satono Reve finished second to Ka Ying Rising in this race last year and also ninth to him in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) last December. He also finished third to him in the 2024 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint.
Moreira said the horse had travelled well.
“It is a tough race but at the same time if I take the ride then I have some faith in my horse,” Moreira said. “I would have him (Ka Ying Rising) as the best sprinter in the world, so it is a tough race to win, but we are going to be doing our best.”
Moreira, who has ridden all around the world, said Ka Ying Rising was a freak and he could not recall seeing a better sprinter.
He admitted that Satono Reve challenged Ka Ying Rising in some of their previous contests.
“If anything happens to Ka Ying Rising, we become a very live chance as long as my horse brings his A game,” Moreira said. “Helios Express has also proven to be a good horse and between him and Satono Reve, if I was to measure them both, I don’t think there is much between them.
“When you see some of the runs when they run against each other, the margin has just been a head and some of the races went either way with some going to Satono Reve and once it went to the benefit of Helios Express.”
Moreira has ridden Satono Reve six times for two wins, two seconds, one third and one fourth. Their biggest success was in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) at Chukyo in March last year.
Moreira said he couldn’t give an opinion on whether Satono Reve was still at the level of his win at Chukyo.
“I haven’t sat on him for a long time and the last time I rode him would be last September,” he said. “I should be getting on him tomorrow (Thursday, 23 April) which is great and I’m looking forward to it.”
Moreira said each race is a challenge, but it was always a matter of trying and watching the cycle go by.
“People come and go, horses come and go and the other day we saw Golden Sixty dominate and putting himself as the best horse that turns up and then all of a sudden another one turns up,” he said.
“Golden Sixty has come and gone, and Ka Ying Rising has come and is still in his prime but eventually he will be gone. It is a cycle.”
Moreira said the trainer, jockey or owner of a champion horse like Ka Ying Rising should see themselves as the luckiest people in the world.