A winning double on Friday nights sand program edged Luis Corrales to within four wins of jockeys’ premiership leader Ruan Maia in what is shaping up to be an interesting battle for supremacy this season.

Corrales a former four times Macau Champion jockey and a runner up for the past two seasons, is hell bent on reclaiming his crown; and with six winners under his belt for the month of November has narrowed the scoreboard to read 17 wins to 14 in favor of Maia.

Advance Mission in the Class 1 & 2 Handicap over 1510 metres was the first of Corrales winners on Friday night when he came with a powerful burst to down race favorite Oriental Profit (Oscar Chavez) right on the line. In a race run at a cracking pace, Advance Mission from the joint stable of Tommy Tse and Louis Ho was at one stage at least 15 lengths off the leaders Denzil’s Choice and Best Of Luck. The joint leaders who went like there was no tomorrow setting a suicide pace made the race up for something to come from the back. Oriental Profit under Chavez looked home after sitting off the speed when he shot away at the two hundred but was no match for Advance Mission’s storming finish. It was win number eight in Macau for the UK import with all his wins on the all weather surface.

The Alan Tam prepared Acing Pro was the second of Corrales winners when he went home too well for race favorite Superlative Choice (Ruan Maia) in the Class 4 over 1510 metres.

Superlative Choice is also prepared by Alan Tam to give him the quinella for the race and continued the great run by the stable. Tam now leads last season’s Champion trainer Tony Fung 12 wins to 11, with the combined yard of Tommy Tse and Louis Ho on third spot on 10 victories.

The Jockeys’ Premiership is looming as a much more wide open affair this season with Corrales setting his sights on a fifth title along with the presence in Macau of former Singapore / Malaysian champion Oscar Chavez who is looking at extending his stay in the enclave and has been in cracking form of late. Add to that Peter Ho the Macau Champion jockey in the 2016 – 2017 season who is currently in third spot behind Maia and Corrales on 11 wins.

Ojala from the Alan Tam yard gave the former three times Champion the first leg of a double on Friday when he showed too much fight under Filipino jockey Jonie Pescuiso to hold off Rocket Along (Luis Corrales) to win the Class 2 & 3 over 1350 metres.

A son of a multiple group winner in Darley’s Epaulette (Aus), Ojala commenced his career in the United Kingdom under Simon Dow winning three races from seven starts all on the all weather surface. The three year old looks assured of a nice future in Macau given his gutsy win on Friday night, and his ability it appears is not just going to be limited to the sand given his encouraging second in a trial late October and his nice debut run on the turf on November 16 in running sixth, only five lengths away over 1200 metres.

Ojala was the only ride for the night for Jonie Pescuiso a former Champion apprentice in Macau under Alan Tam’s care. Rides are few and far between nowadays for Pescuiso who has posted two wins from his 15 rides for the season; his first winner being the $590.00 longshot God Get People a fortnight back.