Macau stages unique International Mixed Doubles Jockey's Challenge on Saturday 21 January 2017.

The Macau Jockey Club (MJC) is staging a unique International Mixed Doubles Jockey’s Challenge on Saturday with jockeys from around the globe coming together to form six Doubles Teams to ride against each other over four races at Saturday’s meeting at Taipa racetrack.

The three races are the Kampek Paradise International Mixed Doubles Jockeys Challenge Cup (1500m), Kampek Paradise International Mixed Doubles Jockeys Challenge Bowl (1200m) and the Kampek Paradise International Mixed Doubles Jockeys Challenge Plate (1500m) and Paradise Entertainment Race (1200m).

On Wednesday the jockeys were paired into six teams each consisting of one male and one female via a ballot. The female riders drew out a number which allotted them a team, and they also drew the next female contestant to continue the process. Mr Zane Turner, Chief Stipendiary Steward of MJC then drew out the respective male riders, so as to complete the riders pairing.

The international pairings are as follows:

1 Kim Hye Sun (Korea) 116 and Manoel Nunes (Singapore) 116
2 Nanako Fujita (Japan) 106 (Claims 10 lbs) and Olivier Doleuze (Hong Kong) 122
3 Jacqueline Davis (USA) 116 and Andrew Calder (New Zealand) 117
4 Katelyn Mallyon (Australia) 119 and Moon Se Young (Korea) 117
5 Emily Finnegan (Ireland) 116 and Luis Corrales (Macau) 118
6 Jeane Alves De Lemos (Brazil) 117 and Yutaka Take (Japan) 121

Riding for the Red Team is Korea’s top lady rider Kim Hye Sun who has drawn for her teammate three times Singapore Champion Manoel Nunes, who rides for the Lion City of Singapore.

Team number two is the Yellow Team with Japan’s Nanako Fujita joining forces with Frenchman Olivier Doleuze who will represent Hong Kong.

Talented New York based rider Jacqueline Davis will represent the USA in Team Three, the Blue Team, and she will link up with New Zealand’s Andrew Calder who rides for his home country.
The Black and White Checks of Team Four will be sported by two times Champion Victorian Apprentice Katelyn Mallyon who carries the flag for Australia. Katelyn will be joined by Korea’s Champion jockey Moon Se Young.

Representing Ireland will be Emily Finnegan who will wear the Purple of Team Five. Finnegan will have the benefit of local knowledge when she joins forces with four times Champion Macau jockey Luis Corrales who is riding out for Macau.

The much-travelled Jeane Alves de Lemos from Brazil will link up with Japanese racing legend Yutaka Take, to make up Team Six the Orange Team as they ride for their countries.
Each rider will wear the coloured caps of their teams and the partnership accumulating the highest point score will be crowned the winners in a presentation ceremony after the competition.

There is no doubt that Japan’s Yutaka Take is the star of the jockey’s challenge. A national celebrity in Japan Take has been crowned Champion Jockey on 18 occasions. With more than 4000 winners to his credit, Yutaka has over 100 Group 1 victories and overall has amassed more than 300 Graded races in Japan.
Take has won the Japan Cup on four occasions, the most recent being an all the way win on Kitasan Black last November. He is best remembered worldwide for his association with the champion Deep Impact who he rode to victory in the 2006 Japan Cup.

Joining Yutaka Take to represent Hong Kong will be Frenchman Olivier Doleuze who is a crowd favourite wherever he rides and who is known for his exuberant winning displays.
Doleuze has made Hong Kong his home for more than a decade and is remembered for his wonderful association with the former 2008 Hong Kong Horse of The Year Good Ba Ba.

Representing Korea is reigning Champion jockey Moon Se Young who has been the most dominant rider in Seoul for more than a decade.
With over 1300 race winners to his credit, Moon Se Young is only the second jockey in Korea to top the 1000 win mark. His biggest wins to date have been the 2007 Grand Prix and the 2012 Korea Derby.

Former six times Macau Champion Manoel Nunes returns to Taipa this time to represent Singapore.
Brazilian-born Nunes has won the last three Singapore Jockeys Titles and has ridden more than 2000 race winners. Manoel Nunes holds a rare distinction in winning the Triple Crown in his homeland of Brazil and also winning Macau’s Triple Crown in 2010 on Luen Yat Forever.
For the Macau side, four times Champion Luis Corrales will carry the local's hopes. Corrales will be looking to repeat his success against the international visitors as he did in 2010 when he won Macau's International Sand Premier Cup on Golden Star.

Rounding out the male riders is New Zealander Andrew Calder who will represent his home country and has plenty of local knowledge on his side.
Calder has made Macau his base since winning the Derby on Imabayboy in 2011, and last year took out Macau’s other premier event the Macau – Hong Trophy.

Heading the line-up for the Ladies is Australia’s Katelyn Mallyon who has twice been crowned Victoria’s Champion apprentice.
Mallyon is the granddaughter of racing great Mick Mallyon a multiple Caulfield Cup winning rider. She has ridden 238 winners from her 2426 race rides.
Representing Brazil is Jeane Alves De Lemos, a highly respected rider that has travelled much of the world. Alves has ridden 473 winners from her 3890 race rides with her biggest win the GP Brazil Breeders Cup Challenge in 2015.

Emily Finnegan has made a big impact in South Australian racing with 143 winners to her name in only two seasons. Emily has answered the call to represent her home country of Ireland and will be looking to add to her fine record.

Also from Japan is Nanako Fujita who is the first female rider to be licensed by the JRA in 16 years.
Whilst her record does not read as attractive as the other competitors with six winners from her 2713 rides, she has already gained some International exposure competing in the Sheika Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championships in Abu Dhabi in November last year.

Korean Kim Hye Sun makes her second trip to Macau riding for her home country and will be a worthy opponent in the challenge.
Kim Hye Sun became the first lady rider in Korea to ride 100 winners and has 207 winners from 2754 race rides to date. Kim Hye Sun also represented Korea in the Abu Dhabi’s Ladies World Championships in November last year.

Completing the lineup is Jacqueline Davis a highly respected rider on the tough New York racing circuit in the USA.
Jacqueline is a graduate of Hall of Fame Jockey Chris McCarron's Racing Academy and has kicked home 523 race winners from 4803 rides.
Her biggest wins to date have been the 2013 African Prince Stakes at Suffolk Downs and the 2016 New York Oaks.