The day was Joao Moreira's even before the oohs and aaahs that accompanied Able Friend's stroll around in the Group One, and the Magic Man is closing in on the season win record after another five-timer that could have been seven.
"You know I could have won two more races - My Little Friend was unlucky in the straight race and I thought Eastern Express should have won the first race as well," said the Brazilian who is now on 108 victories for the season, seven short of eclipsing Douglas Whyte's 114 wins in 2005-06 with almost 200 races still to be decided.
Missing out on those other winners made the Jockey Challenge more exciting for punters who took short odds about Moreira and had to wait until the final race to be sure of collecting when he drove home John Moore-trained Dashing Fellow, another highly-promising three-year-old amongst Moreira's tally on Fantasticlife, Bear-pop, Thewizardofoz and Able Friend.
"John said he's improving race by race and Dashing Fellow has just needed some racing to bring him to where he is now. I do think that the fast-run race, like the one today, suits him best," Moreira said.
While trainer John Size had a dismal day watching his stable star Luger issued with a six-month ban from racing after a second heart irregularity, at least there was some joy in the camp earlier with impresssive debutant Thewizardofoz.
Previously prepared by Gai Waterhouse in Sydney, where he barrier trialled brilliantly, Thewizardofoz is bred to be good out of former top quality New Zealand mare, Princess Coup, but even his well-advertised talent surprised Moreira on debut.
"He did surprise me. I trialled him so I knew he was something nice but from the outside draw at his first start I thought he would find it difficult," said the jockey. "Not many horses could do first time what he did today - come out fast, come back into the field and then finish like that again. The pace was so genuine it allowed me to get him in and get a good run then it slowed at the 600m and I came out again to make sure of a clear run.
"When I really let him down, he produced another gear and he's going to be a nice horse for next season."
Champions like Able Friend and promising youngsters like Thewizardofoz and Dashing Fellow make a jockey look good but Moreira was also able to score on two younger ones not destined for the all-time great discussions.
"I just think how the race turned out for Bear-pop, he has been looking for that all season and he does need a lot to go the right way for him," Moreira said.
Trainer Tony Cruz took a similar vein with Class Fiver Fantasticlife, unplaced at his first nine runs but a winner at last.
"He's not much of a horse - he really needed a good ride and Joao gave him one," Cruz said.
