Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira, who on Sunday topped the century mark of winners for the 2011 season, will be missing from action in Singapore on Friday night.



Moreira flies to Australia on Thursday where he will ride at the Randwick meeting in Sydney on Saturday.



He will have four rides for John Thompson who is the main trainer for Patinack Farm Racing and its principle owner Nathan Tinkler, partnering stable stars Pane In The Glass, Trusting, Gathering and Run For Wilson.

Moreira was offered more rides on the eight event Randwick program from outside stables but elected to stick to just the four Thompson rides.

?I have been asked down to ride some of their horses in some cup races on Saturday,? said Moreira. ?They said they wouldn?t be asking me down if they didn?t think the horses didn?t have any chance.

?I was asked by some other trainers if I would be interested in taking some more rides, but I will only be riding for John Thompson and I have four rides for him.


?I am really looking forward to heading down there. It will be my first time riding in Sydney and from what I hear it is a very nice place.


?It will be a very good experience for me to ride there and I am keen to explore more opportunities should they occur for me to ride at different places around the world.

?I am still only young and I am very keen to keep on learning.

?I am sure it will be a great experience.?

Thompson and the Patinack team have asked for Moreira to come down to Sydney early and ride trackwork and to get the feel of Randwick track.

He is no stranger to success in Australia having taken the Kallis International Jockey Challenge at Ascot in Perth last November ? his first visit ?Down Under?.

Moreira has been in sparkling form in Singapore in recent months. Since the start of June he has ridden 61 winners, of which 24 came during the month of August including a six-timer on August 7.

Following the Randwick meeting Moreira will fly back to Singapore to ride at the Group 3 Jumbo Jet Trophy meeting on Sunday.