Jockey Club to hold int’l mixed doubles race

Jacqueline Davis from the United States

For the first time in the region, international jockeys will be competing at the running of the International Mixed Doubles Jockeys Challenge on January 21.

In the upcoming competition initiated by the Macau Jockey Club, the challenge will see a lineup of six teams each consisting of one male and one female.

These doubles will be drawn via a ballot and will compete in three races on the turf.

With a total prize money of HKD1.62 million, the teams will be competing for points, with the duo accumulating the most points taking home the first prize of HKD120,000 from each race’s pool of HKD270,000.

According to information from the organizer, the Macau Jockey Club is looking to stage similar challenges in the future.

“We’ve quite a star studded lineup from around the globe for the launch of the first Mixed Doubles Jockeys Challenge, aimed to bring more diversity to our product for racegoers and attracting more awareness to the exciting racing industry in Macau,” the Club said to the Times.

The Macau Jockey Club has listed the international competitors that the audience will see on the turf.

To represent Macau, four-time Champion Luis Corrales will be looking to repeat his victory against international visitors as he did in 2010 when he won Macau’s International Sand Premier Cup on Golden Star.

Representing Hong Kong where he has been for more than a decade, will be the former Champion Apprentice in France, Olivier Doleuze.

The Frenchman is remembered for his association with the former 2008 Hong Kong Horse of The Year Good Ba Ba.

Former six-time Macau Champion Manoel Nunes is also set to return to represent Singapore. The Brazilian jockey has won the last three Singapore Jockeys Titles and won Macau’s Triple Crown in 2010 on Luen Yat Forever.

Japanese racing legend Yutaka Take is also one of the international jockeys bound for the region. Take has been crowned Champion jockey on 16 occasions with some 4000 wins in his racing history.

Information from the organizers stressed that the Japanese jockey has over 100 Group 1 victories and has amassed over 300 graded races in Japan.

Representing Korea is reigning Champion jockey Moon Se Young. With over 1300 race wins throughout his career, the Korean jockey is the second jockey in Korea to pass the 1000-win mark.

Representing his country in the upcoming tourney, his biggest wins to date have been the 2007 Grand Prix and the 2012 Korea Derby.

New Zealand will be represented by Andrew Calder, who won the Derby in Imabayboy in 2011 and took out Macau’s other premier event, the Macau – Hong Trophy.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Katelyn Mallyon is heading the lineup for the six female international jockeys. Mallyon has been crowned Victoria’s Champion apprentice twice and has amassed 238 wins in her race rides.

Brazil’s Jeane Alves De Lemos, winner of the GP Brazil Breeders Cup Challenge in 2015, is also set to compete in the region.

Emily Finnegan will represent her home country Ireland, and is looking to add a victory to her record.

Representing Japan is Nanako Fujita, the first female rider to be licensed by the Japan Racing Association in 16 years. Fujita also competed in the Sheika Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championships in Abu Dhabi in November last year.

Korean Kim Hye Sun will represent her home country in her second trip to Macau. The Korean jockey is noted as being the first female rider in Korea to win over 100 races, and has 207 wins from 2754 race rides to date.

Completing the lineup is Jacqueline Davis from the United States.

Jacqueline is a graduate from Hall of Fame Jockey Chris McCarron’s Racing Academy and has brought home 523 race wins out of a total of 4803 rides.

Information from the organizers noted that her biggest wins to date have been the 2013 African Prince Stakes at Suffolk Downs and the 2016 New York Oaks. LV