KUALA LUMPUR: May 17, 2026

Bernardo Pinheiro marked his 800-career-win milestone with a treble at Sungai Besi today, the very track the Brazilian jockey first gained prominence in the Far East.

Pinheiro returned to action in the Malaysia capital after a taking a break back home following the conclusion of the Middle East racing season.

He announced his arrival with a first-up win on Friend Of Honor in the first race last Sunday, then showed racegoers what they have missed in the last few months with victories abroad Tommy Gun, Eastern Barracks and Swey City Flyer today.

Astride Tommy Gun, Pinheiro allowed the Flying Artie galloper to settle behind the front-running trio of Tipping Point, Dragon Cavallo and Fa Fa Star before switching out from behind their heels to hit the front 100m out, winning by 2-1/2 lengths.

That success brought Pinheiro’s career to total to 799 but he did not have to wait long to hit that magical 800.

That came in the second last race of the day on Eastern Barracks. And what a ride it was and one which truly demonstrated his prowess in the saddle.

Eastern Barracks was one of the first two to break but Pinheiro elected not to go for the lead and settled his mount behind the pace, sticking to the rails, even dropping back to sixth at one stage when horses moved forward around him.

At the top of the straight, Pinheiro was presented with a huge gap on the inside of the pacemaker Campionessa and raced up to him at the 300m. Campionessa fought back with every stride and held a narrow lead until the final few strides when Eastern Barracks popped his head in front, winning by that margin.

800-up for Pinheiro but he was not done for the day.

After working overtime in his previous ride, Pinheiro had a much easier time on Swey City Flyer in the final event. The Sweynesse galloper led most of the way, except when headed briefly by Zero Five Six at one stage.

“I feel very glad and very blessed to hit this milestone after everything that I went through in my career,” said Pinheiro.

“It was a long journey, not that long really, but a nice journey traveling round the world, gaining experience and getting support everywhere I go.

“I am happy to hit this mark in Kuala Lumpur as this is the place I feel very welcomed and have good support. The public here cheer for me with love and passion and truly enjoy my rides and horsemanship. It makes it special.

“There is not much else to say expect to keep working hard, keep the feet on floor, be the person that I am and see how far I can go.”

Born in the suburbs of Rio De Janeiro, Pinheiro enrolled as an apprentice at a riding school in 2013  and completed the course in October the same year.

Bernardo enjoyed a dream start to his career in the saddle, winning his very first ride the following month.

He was crowned champion apprentice for the 2013 and 2014 seasons and turned professional in 2015 after riding more than 180 winners.

Bernardo took up his first overseas stint when he rode in Dubai and Bahrain in 2017 and has returned to ride in the Middle East every year since.

Among his career highlights are the Group 1 Emirates Championship with Harrab in Abu Dhabi in March 2022, the Group 1 Grande Premio Margarida Polak Lara Taca de Prata with Macadamia in June 2021, the Triple Crown with filly Perfect Bullet in Brazil, including the Group 1 Grande Premio Taca de Cristal in June 2017, as well as several black-type races.

Pinheiro first rode in Malaysia in July 2019 and was an immediate hit booting home 34 winners including the Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) on the Shane Edwards-trained Truson in 2019.

He has repeated the success on Pasir Pinji and Antipodean in 2023 and 2024.

He has also ridden in Singapore prior to the closure of the Kranji racecourse.

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