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Six winners over the weekend has seen Peter Ho take a five win lead in his quest for his first Macau jockey’s premiership.

Ho is taking full advantage of the absence of reigning champion Luis Corrales who has been sidelined with a neck injury since a race fall on March 24.

Mackinac Island for trainer Tommy Tse in the 0 to 55 race over 1050 metres on Friday afternoon was the first of Ho’s winners for the weekend, followed by victories for trainer Tony Fung on Military Super in the 25 to 45 over 1350 and Evergreen Star in the Class 2 & 3 over 1050 metres.

Ho and Fung again teamed up on Sunday afternoon to win with the outstanding sand prospect King Of Realestate in the Class 2 & 3 over 1510 metres.

King Of Realestate has won five out of six starts on the all weather surface, his only defeat being over an unsuitable 1050 metres when fourth behind his stablemate the flying Evergreen Star.

On Sunday Peter Ho eased the son of Musket Man immediately after the start from gate 12 and cut across to settle at the back of the field.

The big gelding was never off the bridle in the run and started to tug himself into the race before the turn. He then was cut loose by Ho in the straight to race away for another easy win in a new track record time of 1.33.1.

The win prompted some highly respected form analysts to put the gelding on par with the brilliant Lascaux who won 23 races on the sand in Macau.

Brazilian jockey Ruan Maia gave racegoers an amazing display of horsemanship in winning the Class 6 contest on Cheerful Companion for trainer Alan Tam on Sunday.

Cheerful Companion was sent out a warm $2.6 favorite in the 1350 metre sand contest and traveled sweetly outside race leader Win Perfectly until the 450 metre mark when things started to unravel.

Maia’s saddle slipped abruptly to the left side of the horse with his left foot caught in the iron. At one stage his right foot was resting on top of the horses wither, whilst his left foot was caught low down on the side of the horse.

Maia managed to free his right foot and straightened the favorite up again some five lengths off them. In an amazing display of horsemanship he pulled the whip and rode the horse right out to fly home and grab victory right on the line.

The Brazilian jockeys are renowned for their horsemanship and are taught to ride bareback from a young age at the renowned Sao Paulo Jockeys’ Academy.

In a fact a lot of slow trackwork is ridden without saddles in places like Brazil and Chile and that no doubt was a saving grace for Maia on Sunday.