Malaysian fall inquiry on hold as jockey heads to Singapore

Stewards in Malaysia have been left waiting to hold an inquiry into how a jockey fell off a hot favourite as soon as the barriers opened at Selangor Turf Club at the weekend, as the jockey in question has left the country.

Brazilian rider Lemos “Lai Lai” De Souza was dislodged from Pacific Power in race nine at Selangor, the Kuala Lumpur-based racecourse and one of two active tracks in Malaysia, sparking stewards to launch an investigation into the incident.

The fall created a social media storm, with video of the race being shared via various platforms and prompting numerous comments and discussions from punters and racing industry figures.

Stewards were hoping to open an inquiry into the incident early this week, but it has now been confirmed that a date for De Souza to front the Selangor Turf Club’s integrity division is yet to be fixed.

After the fall, De Souza forfeited his remaining rides on the 12-race card and sought medical attention. It is believed that he is currently in Singapore.

It is understood that De Souza, who has ridden 31 winners in Malaysia this year, has sought videos and other materials related to the incident as he prepares his defence.

Two-year-old Pacific Power, who drifted from $1.30 to $2 with TAB fixed odds in Australia and started at 2.40 on the Malaysian totaliser, was having his second race start for leading trainer Jason Ong and owner Jimmy Poh. 

The race was eventually won by the Richard Lines-trained Pulse Bomb, a $5.60 chance on the local tote.

Pacific Power finished runner-up on debut over 1200m at Selangor on June 15.

De Souza, who rode the winner of the third race, received two careless riding suspensions which saw him outed for four Malaysian race days. However, in lieu of serving two of those days as a suspension, he was fined RM4500 (A$1625).

It meant De Souza would have been back to ride at Selangor’s July 20 meeting, featuring the inaugural running of the RM1 million (A$361,000) Selangor Mile for four-year-olds.

The HY Cheng-trained Lucky Magic, a New Zealand-bred son of Mendelssohn who was bought for $75,000 at the 2022 NZB Ready to Run Sale, is the likely favourite for the lucrative race. 

He has won seven of his 12 starts, including the Penang Gold Cup, Perak Derby and most recently the Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy.

Singapore’s champion trainer in the final season of racing at Kranji, Ong has made a flying start to his career in Malaysia, preparing 54 winners so far in 2025. 

He is the trainer of prominent Selangor Mile contender Pacific Victory, a winner of six races in Kuala Lumpur since crossing from Singapore.