| Silvestre de Sousa | |
|---|---|
 Silvestre de Sousa at theSha Tin Racecourse in 2023 | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | (1980-12-31)31 December 1980 (age 44) São Francisco do Maranhão, Brazil |
| Height | 5.2 ft (158 cm) |
| Weight | 8 st 3 lb (115 lb; 52 kg) |
| Career wins | 4000+ |
| Major racing wins | |
| Major races 1000 Guineas Stakes (2024) Champion Stakes (2013) Lockinge Stakes (2013) International Stakes (2015) Premio Roma (2012) Dubai Turf (2013) Dubai World Cup (2014)) | |
| Honours | |
| British flat racing Champion Jockey (2015, 2017, 2018) Lester Award for Flat Jockey of the Year (2015) | |
| Significant horses | |
| African Story,Farhh | |
Silvestre de Sousa (born 31 December 1980 inSão Francisco do Maranhão, Brazil) is a Brazilianflat racingjockey who is based in Britain and was three timeschampion jockey (2015, 2017, 2018).
De Sousa was born in São Francisco do Maranhão,Maranhão, the youngest of ten siblings. He moved toSão Paulo when he was 17 years old and sat on a racehorse for the first time when he was 18. This came after a chance meeting with a man who worked at the localCidade Jardim racecourse, who introduced him toFausto Durso (one of the leading jockeys inSão Paulo at the time, later twice champion jockey inMacau). Durso suggested that de Sousa had the build of a jockey.[1] In an interview with the magazineThoroughbred Owner & Breeder, de Sousa remembered an inauspicious beginning to his career. “I started very badly…it took me six months to get my first ride, but 16 months later I was champion apprentice and had lost my claim.”[1]
In 2004 de Sousa moved to Ireland, joining trainerDermot Weld. However, the move did not work out; de Sousa initially struggled to adjust to the change in environment. After two years without a racecourse ride in public, he was offered the chance to move to England and link up withThirsk-based trainerDavid Nicholls. He rode in his first race soon after and by the end of his first season in Britain (2006) he had ridden 27 winners from 195 runners for a win rate of 14 percent.[2]
With Nicholls using his son Adrian as first jockey, de Sousa decided to freelance. After winning 21, 35 and 68 races in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively, he reached his maiden century of winners in 2010 and attracted the attention of northern trainerMark Johnston. In a 2011 BBC interview Johnston said, "I noticed him last season when he rode 100 winners for mainly small trainers, often on horses at long odds".[3]
With support from the Mark Johnston yard, de Sousa made a good start in 2011. After initially being excluded from some bookmakers’ lists for the flat-jockeys’ championship, with monthly totals of 24, 20 and 27 winners in May, June and July respectively he was heading the title race.[1] His association with Johnston led to big wins atEpsom Racecourse onDerby Day and twice atRoyal Ascot; his first wins at the Royal meeting came on Fox Hunt in theDuke of Edinburgh Stakes and Namibian in theQueen's Vase. De Sousa described his Ascot victories as "unbelievable", saying “when you look at my background, you would never think I would ride a winner in Royal Ascot”.[4]
The 2010 champion jockeyPaul Hanagan regained the lead by September; having incurred a four-day suspension in early October, de Sousa's chances of a first title were fading.[5] He continued to focus on his championship challenge with 32 winners in October; however, Mark Johnston's decision to put de Sousa on Fox Hunt in Australia'sMelbourne Cup was another blow to his title bid. Explaining the logic behind his decision to send de Sousa to Melbourne to ride the Duke Of Edinburgh winner, Johnston said “He (de Sousa) would rather win four races atWolverhampton and be called champion jockey than have to come out here. But I hope that if he wins the Melbourne Cup then he'll realize that's much bigger than being champion jockey”.[5] Fox Hunt finished seventh in the Cup.
Despite failing (by four winners) to pass Hanagan in the title race, 2011 was de Sousa's best-ever season. He finished with 161 winners. While Hanagan suggested he would not try for a third successive title, de Sousa had no such qualms. "I don't have to waste. I wake up every morning, eightstone. Of course, I get tired at the end of the day but after sleeping, you're fresh again."[6]
He was again runner-up (toRichard Hughes) in 2012, and third behind Hughes in 2013.[7]
From 2012 to 2015 de Sousa was retained as a jockey byGodolphin.[8] He won his firstGroup 1 on Hunter's Light in the 2012Premio Roma and landed further Group 1 success with Sajjhaa in the 2013Dubai Duty Free Stakes,Farhh in the 2013Lockinge andChampion Stakes and African Story in the 2014Dubai World Cup.[8]
Soon after losing his retainer with Godolphin, de Sousa was crownedBritish flat racing Champion Jockey 2015.[8] The following year he finished second in the championship to Crowley, but regained his title in 2017.[9] He rode his 200th winner of the year atLingfield on 18 October, and with 155 wins in the Championship period, he effectively won the title with weeks to spare. He identified the highlights of his year as the day he rode six winners - five atSandown and one atGoodwood - and hisCesarewitch Handicap win on Withhold.[9] Speaking of retaining his title, he said, "I can't see why I won't be going for a third title. I want to do very well again next year and if I had the same support this year I hope to ride plenty of winners. If the good horses come I will ride them, but if not I will go toCatterick [a relatively minor track] and anywhere else to ride the winners."[9]
De Sousa retained his champion jockey title in 2018, beatingOisin Murphy into second place. He spent the winter racing inHong Kong, where he rode more than 40 winners, including Group 1 victory on Glorious Forever in theHong Kong Cup in December. He returned to Britain at the start of the 2019 season, having signed a retainer in late 2018 with King Power Racing,the operation founded by the late Leicester City ownerVichai Srivaddhanaprabha and run by his son,Aiyawatt.[10]
After three seasons riding for King Power Racing, de Sousa was released from his contract and spent the 2022 season riding as a freelance.[11] Having found it difficult to re-establish himself as a freelance, de Sousa moved to Hong Kong for the start of the season in September 2022. During the winter he rode 45 winners and was in fifth place in the jockeys' standings, with his mounts earning £7.7 million in prize money.[8]
On May 12, 2023, de Sousa was given a 10 month ban by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for a breach of betting rules, after he admitted facilitating fellow jockey Vagner Borges in placing a bet on a horse.[8] He withdrew an appeal against the length of the ban.[12]
After serving his ban, de Sousa returned to Britain in March 2024, riding as a freelance. On 3 May 2024 he achieved his first success in aClassic race when he rode Elmalka, trained byRoger Varian to victory in the1000 Guineaa.[13] This was followed later the same month by a second Classic victory when he rode Devil's Point in the Grade 2 German 2,000 Guineas.[5]
De Sousa is married to bloodstock agent and former apprentice jockey Victoria Behan. The couple have three sons.[14]
