3 minute read
It’s been more than four months since the official nod for a visiting jockey’s licence, but it was only on Tuesday that Brazilian jockey Manoel Nunes was finally able to land in Singapore.
The former three-time Singapore champion jockey was with Australia's Daniel Moor and South Africa's Derreck David (both former Kranji-based jockeys like him) among three expat riders granted a six-month licence by the Singapore Turf Club in June, but was left as the last man standing after Moor pulled out and David failed to secure an employment pass.
On paper, Nunes should have cleared all work permit requirements within two months tops, but had been kept in a holding pattern because of COVID-19 border restrictions.
At one point, Nunes thought he would join Moor and David on the dropout heap with all the paperwork submitted to get an entry permit hitting a dead-end, but his perseverance and that of Singapore Turf Club's Racing Development department, especially its assistant manager Maisarah Baharudin, finally paid off on September 19 when the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) gave the green light, subject to the mandatory 10-day Stay Home Notice and COVID-19 tests.
Speaking over the phone from his hotel room on Havelock Road, Nunes was a little jetlagged from the 32-hour door-to-door Sao Paulo-Singapore flight (with layover in Doha), but yet thrilled to bits to be back for another Singapore stint, four years after his last one.
He did come for a hit-and-run one-day visit to ride Countofmontecristo in the Group 1 Raffles Cup in September 2019, booting home one winner Limited Edition to edge his Kranji tally closer to the half-tonne: 497.
"I'm so happy to be back. It's taken a longer time than usual, but after all the frustration and the endless formalities with the paperwork at home and at the airport, it's been well worth the wait," said Nunes.
"I know I have missed five of the six months from my licence, and will probably only ride at four or five meetings before the season ends (on November 27), but that's okay. It'll be like a warm-up for 2022 (for which he has already applied).
"Singapore has been good to me and I'm really looking forward to riding again for the same trainers and owners who supported me the last time. I'm also excited to make new contacts.
"I will keep myself fit with the exercise bike the hotel has kindly delivered to my room, but nothing beats the fitness you gain from riding a horse."
Nunes comes out of quarantine next Friday week, but will give himself another week or two before taking his first book of rides. He will definitely be available for the Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup meeting on November 14, two days after his 46th birthday.
Nothing has been consolidated in terms of booking for Singapore's last major, even if some trainers have already made some approaches. Right now, he just wants to focus on keeping in fine trim, more so, when unbeknownst to many, he has not race-ridden for almost two years!
"My last race ride was at the International Jockeys' Weekend in Mauritius on December 1, 2019. I won the last race on a horse called Zigi Zagi Zugi," said Nunes who was also crowned Mauritius champion jockey that season.
"I was supposed to ride in Canada last year, but there were delays with the permit and biometrics when COVID-19 struck. One year went by and then, luckily, I got the Singapore licence.
"But rest assured I've been keeping myself fit even when I was not riding. I rode some of my friend's horses at a private training centre in Sorocaba which is 100km away from Sao Paulo, I also ran and swam a lot.
"My weight is currently at 53kgs, but once I start riding, I know I can easily get down to 51kgs. I'm feeling in great form and can't wait to get back in the saddle.
"One thing that I'll be looking forward to is reaching 500 winners. When I left Singapore, that was one of my regrets, being stuck at 496 (made it 497 with Limited Edition), but now I get a great chance to reach that milestone."
