Could it be Ryan Moore out, Joao Moreira in for the International Jockeys’ Championship?

Could we see one big-name Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) winner replace another for December 10’s showpiece event at Happy Valley?

With Ryan Moore a very real chance to miss next month’s event for the first time since 2008 as he recovers from a leg injury, the Jockey Club may well need to look elsewhere to maintain the level of star power the event attracts annually.

One man who fits that bill is four-time Hong Kong champion jockey Joao Moreira.

Moreira hasn’t featured in the IJC line-up since 2021 after handing in his Hong Kong licence to embark on a global farewell tour in November 2022, and his inclusion would certainly add plenty of intrigue to the competition after the events of earlier this season.

Hoping to return to Hong Kong as Caspar Fownes’ stable jockey, Moreira was told the roster was full and to try again later in the term.

It’s not the first time Moreira has attempted to get his foot back in the door by becoming a stable jockey – he rode for John Size after a brief stint in Japan in 2018 and was famously told by Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges that Hong Kong “is not a place you can walk in and out of”.

The IJC, however, seems the perfect time for officials to bring fan favourite Moreira back into the fold before potentially ticking off a longer stint later in the season.

The line-up is expected to be announced this week.

Doyle touches down

Someone who will almost certainly be lining up in the IJC is Hollie Doyle, who begins her short-term Hong Kong stint at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

Part of the past five IJCs, Doyle has finished runner-up twice – including last year – and third once and she will be in Hong Kong fulfilling her contract that runs from November 5 to December 23.

Successful on all but one of her six previous trips to Hong Kong and with the ability to ride at the 115lb minimum, Doyle is sure to be popular among owners and trainers during her seven weeks in the city.

She gets the ball rolling with seven rides on Wednesday night, headlined by Ricky Yiu Poon-fai’s last-start placegetter Victory Sky in the Class Three Hanshin Handicap (1,650m).

Valley crowd grows again

It exists to allow time for the transition from summer grass to winter grass at Sha Tin but the sole Happy Valley day meeting of the season continues to grow in popularity with those looking for a relaxed Sunday at the inner-city racetrack.

After a considerable spike 12 months ago, crowd numbers were up again on the weekend, with just shy of 13,000 people pouring into the city circuit to mark a 6 per cent increase year on year.

It’s a turnout that will please officials considering the meeting was competing with the final day of the Hong Kong Open golf, which attracted 12,049 fans, and the final of the Hong Kong Tennis Open at the 3,700-seat Victoria Park Tennis Stadium.

Turnover, on the other hand, was down 8.41 per cent and, with a seven-runner 2,200m Class Five contest kicking off Wednesday night’s Happy Valley meeting, there could be more pain to come on the betting front.

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