The Singapore Turf Club has granted a one-day visiting jockey’s licence to three jockeys currently licensed by the Korea Racing Authority, Lee Hyo Sik, Fergus Sweeney and Franco da Silva.
All based in Busan, the three riders are booked to ride the three South Korean horses contesting the Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1200m) on Sunday, 22 July 2018.
Korean jockey Lee, 22 has been riding for just over two years, but has already booted home around 92 winners in his young career, and currently sits in sixth spot on 39 winners on the Busan jockeys’ premiership.
Lee also honed his craft in Australia where he rode several winners for his master Sue Grills at Armidale.
Lee goes to scale at 48kgs.
Belfast-born Sweeney, 40, left his home in Ireland to become a jockey in England when he was only 16. After he rode his first winner in 1995, he has gone on to chalk up around 1,000 winners, with the highlight being Twilight Son for trainer Henry Candy in the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock Park in 2015.
He also boasts several successes in Group 3 races, including the 2007 Sirenia Stakes (Philario), 2014 Hackwood Stakes (Music Master), 2016 Winter Hill Stakes (Chain Of Daisies), and other Listed races.
Sweeney has also ridden overseas extensively, namely in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Turkey, South Africa, Barbados, Dubai and India. Among his big wins on other shores are the Group 2 Anatolia Trophy with Belgian Bill last year, this year’s Grade 1 Golconda Derby and Grade 2 Golconda Oaks in Hyderabad, both with Mahateji and the 2004 Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orange (The Trader) and 2001 Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert (Repertory) in France.
Licensed in Korea since May, Sweeney has up to now ridden 11 winners in Busan for a strike rate of around 19%. Sweeney goes to scale at 53.5kgs.
After beginning his riding career in his native Brazil, Da Silva went on to make his name on the international stage over the last 19 years, mainly in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He also plied his trade in Germany where he rode for the powerful Munich-based Jean-Pierre Carvalho stable, France, Belgium, Italy, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, South Africa, India and now Korea.
Now an Irish citizen, Da Silva, 39, has more than 450 winners to his name, including Group 1 Brazilian Guineas, the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil aboard Walzertakt for Carvalho, and more recently, the Korean Derby with Ecton Blade in May.
Da Silva has also taken part in International Jockeys’ challenges in Germany and South Africa in 2015.
Based in Busan since September 2016, Da Silva has to-date won 105 races there, and currently sits in fifth spot on 43 winners on the log.
Da Silva’s riding weight is 52kgs.
