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After three seasons riding for King Power Racing, de Sousa was released from his contract and spent the 2022 season riding as a freelance. 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
276:
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. His association
304:
regained the lead by
September; having incurred a four-day suspension in early October, de Sousa's chances of a first title were fading. 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's
318:
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, eight
393:
win on
Withhold. 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 to
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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. He withdrew an appeal against the length of the ban.
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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 trainer
252:. 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 with
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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”. Fox Hunt finished seventh in the Cup.
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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 at
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240:, 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.”
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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 at
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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 owner
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260:. 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.
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297:. 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”.
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273:. 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".
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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 local
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2015. The following year he finished second in the championship to Crowley, but regained his title in 2017. He rode his 200th winner of the year at
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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 a
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rode 45 winners and was in fifth place in the jockeys' standings, with his mounts earning £7.7 million in prize money.
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949:"Silvestre de Sousa back in the big time as Elmalka gives him a first British Classic success in the 1,000 Guineas"
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De Sousa is married to bloodstock agent and former apprentice jockey Victoria Behan. The couple have three sons.
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935:"Silvestre de Sousa withdraws his appeal against ten-month suspension for breaching betting rules"
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236:). Durso suggested that de Sousa had the build of a jockey. In an interview with the magazine
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https://web.archive.org/web/20120127002448/http://www.racingforchange.co.uk/
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907:"Talking Horses: Will De Sousa deny Oisin Murphy ascent to jockeys' title?"
769:"BBC Sport - Silvestre de Sousa makes one-day trip for Melbourne Cup ride"
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821:"Silvestre de Sousa on course for Dubai ahead of new jockeys' title bid"
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Soon after losing his retainer with Godolphin, de Sousa was crowned
787:"Brazilian De Sousa in dreamland after Fox Hunt's Royal Ascot win"
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De Sousa retained his champion jockey title in 2018, beating
839:"Jockeys' Championship: Will the changes make a difference?"
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and landed further Group 1 success with Sajjhaa in the 2013
806:"Jockey Silvestre De Sousa - Records - Statistics - Horses"
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From 2012 to 2015 de Sousa was retained as a jockey by
889:"Silvestre de Sousa crowned Champion Jockey at Ascot"
248:In 2004 de Sousa moved to Ireland, joining trainer
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95:
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743:"Jockey Silvestre De Sousa - Records - Statistics"
410:into second place. He spent the winter racing in
212:De Sousa was born in São Francisco do Maranhão,
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91:8 st 3 lb (115 lb; 52 kg)
8:
330:) in 2012, and third behind Hughes in 2013.
232:at the time, later twice champion jockey in
216:, the youngest of ten siblings. He moved to
200:who is based in Britain and was three times
819:Chris Cook at Southwell (6 December 2011).
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20:
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398:and anywhere else to ride the winners."
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723:. Owner & Breeder. 31 August 2011
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375:British flat racing Champion Jockey
157:British flat racing Champion Jockey
224:racecourse, who introduced him to
164:for Flat Jockey of the Year (2015)
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451:when he rode Elmalka, trained by
277:with Johnston led to big wins at
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238:Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder
789:. Yorkshire Post. 20 June 2011.
500:British Champions Sprint Stakes
228:(one of the leading jockeys in
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988:https://twitter.com/SilvDSousa
909:. The Guardian. 28 March 2019.
366:and African Story in the 2014
346:on Hunter's Light in the 2012
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1033:British Champion flat jockeys
923:. Racing Post. 24 March 2022.
691:Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3
937:. Racing Post. 29 May 2023.
872:. Racing Post. 12 May 2023.
326:He was again runner-up (to
208:Background and early career
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1038:Sportspeople from Maranhão
951:. Racing Post. 5 May 2024.
189:(born 31 December 1980 in
37:Silvestre de Sousa at the
721:"Championship by stealth"
504:Donjuan Triumphant (2019)
300:The 2010 champion jockey
193:, Brazil) is a Brazilian
191:São Francisco do Maranhão
173:
155:
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83:5.2 ft (158 cm)
73:São Francisco do Maranhão
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420:Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
291:Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
1003:http://willowracing.com
619:Glorious Forever (2018)
593:Pretty Pollyanna (2018)
580:Prix Jacques Le Marois
352:Dubai Duty Free Stakes
695:Hunter's Light (2013)
645:Hunter's Light (2012)
660:United Arab Emirates
509:International Stakes
422:and run by his son,
391:Cesarewitch Handicap
293:and Namibian in the
204:(2015, 2017, 2018).
129:International Stakes
965:. Brickfield Equine
963:"Victoria de Sousa"
342:. He won his first
114:1000 Guineas Stakes
895:. 21 October 2017.
775:. 30 October 2011.
455:to victory in the
187:Silvestre de Sousa
169:Significant horses
159:(2015, 2017, 2018)
39:Sha Tin Racecourse
25:Silvestre de Sousa
1018:Brazilian jockeys
554:Queen Anne Stakes
443:Return to Britain
402:King Power Racing
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104:Major racing wins
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967:. Retrieved
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457:1000 Guineaa
453:Roger Varian
449:Classic race
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408:Oisin Murphy
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358:in the 2013
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302:Paul Hanagan
299:
295:Queen's Vase
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226:Fausto Durso
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162:Lester Award
109:
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1028:1980 births
993:Racing Post
747:Racing Post
641:Premio Roma
385:and one at
348:Premio Roma
287:Royal Ascot
250:Dermot Weld
195:flat racing
134:Premio Roma
110:Major races
96:Career wins
1012:Categories
893:Sky Sports
702:References
667:Dubai Turf
589:Prix Morny
471:Major wins
389:- and his
139:Dubai Turf
63:1980-12-31
47:Occupation
969:30 August
773:BBC Sport
753:30 August
608:Hong Kong
430:Hong Kong
412:Hong Kong
396:Catterick
379:Lingfield
340:Godolphin
334:Godolphin
283:Derby Day
230:São Paulo
218:São Paulo
847:Timeform
693:- (1) -
681:- (1) -
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643:– (1) –
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424:Aiyawatt
387:Goodwood
360:Lockinge
214:Maranhão
75:, Brazil
727:4 April
672:Sajjhaa
383:Sandown
344:Group 1
151:Honours
146:(2014))
141:(2013)
136:(2012)
131:(2015)
126:(2013)
121:(2013)
116:(2024)
41:in 2023
686:(2014)
674:(2013)
573:France
549:(2021)
528:(2013)
516:(2015)
254:Thirsk
198:jockey
88:Weight
80:Height
51:Jockey
634:Italy
526:Farhh
356:Farhh
321:stone
234:Macau
179:Farhh
99:4000+
971:2023
755:2023
729:2012
362:and
57:Born
281:on
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891:.
878:^
855:^
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823:.
795:^
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710:^
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61:(
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