Three-time champion jockey Joao Moreira is set to remain in Hong Kong with the Brazilian declaring he will not sit the Japan Racing Association test required to secure a full-time licence this year.

Moreira told Japanese reporters on Friday he was set to stay at Sha Tin after the expiration of his current stable jockey arrangement with John Size.

“The contract with the current stable will expire on June 9, but I will stay in Hong Kong and continue to ride,” Moreira said. “I do not think that I will challenge the JRA’s licence test this year.”

Moreira left Hong Kong at the end of last season with the intention of becoming a full-time rider in Japan but was stopped in his tracks after failing the written exam on the history and processes of Japanese racing.

The JRA requires candidates to pass both a written exam (in English) and an oral test (in Japanese) to secure a full-time licence.

Since Moreira’s return to Hong Kong in December, he has ridden 56 winners, placing him a clear third in the jockeys’ championship behind Karis Teetan (69) and long-time rival Zac Purton (107).

Joao Moreira hits the books as he looks to secure full-time Japan Racing Association licence

His biggest win was in the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup aboard Beat The Clock, who he will ride this Sunday in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize.