Silvestre de Sousa Banned For 10 Months By HKJC Over Betting Charge, Will Appeal

Decorated jockey Silvestre de Sousa has been suspended for 10 months by the Hong Kong Jockey Club after pleading guilty to a betting charge. 

The three-time champion jockey in Britain, who relocated to Hong Kong last year in search of better opportunities, pleaded guilty to the charge along with Vagner Borges, another Brazilian rider based in Hong Kong.

Borges was banned for 12 months by HKJC stewards. Both riders were found in breach of rule 59 (3), which says that “no jockey shall bet, or facilitate the making of a bet, or have any interest in a bet, on any race or any contingency relating to a race meeting”.

De Sousa, 42, achieved big-race successes in Britain aboard Farhh, Winter Power, Arabian Queen and more. 

According to a media release from the HKJC, he is reported to have “facilitated” Borges's bet on his mount, Young Brilliant, in a 1m1f handicap at Happy Valley on April 26.

The statement added that “there was no evidence before the stewards that Borges and De Sousa had ridden their horses in the respective race with any intention other than to obtain the best possible placing for their mounts”.

However, the stewards also underlined “it is fundamental to the integrity of racing that jockeys are not permitted to bet or to have an interest in a bet”.

Later in the day on Friday, De Sousa's solicitor, Harry Steward Moore, confirmed the rider would appeal, and said, “I'm instructed that he will be appealing it.”

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De Sousa, Marquand Share Longines IJC Title

Coronavirus dictated that it wasn't exactly business at usual at Happy Valley Racecourse for the staging of Wednesday's Longines International Jockeys' Championship. But there was a return to at least some semblance of normalcy, as a crowd of about 11,000 fans filed into the stands and into the beer garden to watch Silvestre de Sousa finish level with Tom Marquand to cause a dead heat for just the third time in the history of the event. The duo shared HK$700,000 (£73,544) in prize money.

COVID-19 had already resulted original IJC invitees Yuga Kawada and Jye McNeil being sidelined for the meeting, and the virus claimed a third would-be participant Wednesday when France's Mickael Barzalona tested positive. Zac Purton was a warm favourite to bag a third IJC, but at the end of the day, he struck out, and the competition saw a different jockey win each of the four legs, forcing a countback to decide the winner–or, in this case, winners.

Vincent Ho, who will team up with Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) for a three-peat attempt in Sunday's G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, struck in the first leg of the sequence driving the 8-1 chance Handsome Rebel (Aus) (Denman {Aus}) to a narrow victory over Faribault (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) (video) for trainer Jamie Richards.

Derek Leung took Barzalona's place in the IJC and made the most of the opportunity in the second leg, scoring by a short head astride 135-pound topweight Win Win Fighter (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) after favoured Royal Pride (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) slashed through one off the fence and looked on his way to victory (video) for McNeil's replacement Hugh Bowman. In was another feather in the cap for the homegrown Leung, whose previous crowning moment came aboard Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) in the 2017 Hong Kong Mile.

Neither Marquand nor De Sousa had pointed heading into the third of the IJC races, but that changed when Marquand's 11-1 chance Winning Dragon (Chi) (Ivan Denisovich) pegged back longshot Red Majesty (NZ) (Ferlax {NZ}), who was well-rated from the front by Lyle Hewitson–subbing for Kawada–but just failed to see it out at nearly 40-1 (video).

With as many as nine chances heading into the finale, it was De Sousa who capitalized from close range on Adios (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), just holding off a late surge from Red Lion (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) (video), a two-time winner and seventh in the Brittania H. at Royal Ascot this year for trainer Andrew Slattery when racing as Finach McHugh (Ire). Red Lion would have made Australia's Jamie Kah–who took a Class 3 handicap earlier in the evening for Douglas Whyte–the outright winner on the occasion of her 27th birthday, but the event was declared a tie, as both Marquand and De Sousa posted fourths in other legs of the series. Ho's best finish outside of his was a fifth-place effort, while Leung's next best was a sixth.

“To finish joint-top with Silvestre is pretty epic,” said Marquand, who finished tied for second behind Zac Purton here 12 months ago. “He's been champion jockey back home, he works so hard and is someone you look up to in the weighing room. It's a huge honour and sometimes you have to pinch yourself that these things are happening.”

Marquand's wife Hollie Doyle, third in the final IJC race after being under a COVID cloud until she was cleared to participate Tuesday, closed the Happy Valley meeting with a 9-1 upset of the Class 2 United Kingdom H. (1800m) on Spirited Express (Aus) (No Nay Never).

De Sousa, winner of the 2018 IJC, said: “I'm just delighted. It's my second time winning and I finished placed another time. In the last leg I just felt the crowd and although it was a long last half furlong, thank God he got his head down and we gave it everything.”

 

 

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Three-Time British Champion De Sousa To Continue Career In Hong Kong

Silvestre De Sousa, crowned champion jockey in Britain three times, is set to continue his career in the saddle in Hong Kong.

De Sousa has been granted a licence by the Hong Kong Jockey Club from Aug. 20 to Feb. 20, with the season kicking off at Sha Tin on Sept. 11.

The Brazilian native has ridden 67 winners in Hong Kong previously, including the 2018 Hong Kong Cup aboard Glorious Forever (GB) (Archipenko), as well as landing the Longines International Jockeys' Championship the same year.

De Sousa said, “I am delighted to have been asked to go back out to Hong Kong for another stint. It's a brilliant place to ride and it was just too good an opportunity to turn down.

“My plans to go back out there last year were scuppered by Covid, so it will be great to get back out there again. The quality of racing in Hong Kong is second to none and it's a real honour to be part of that. I'll be heading out there later this month and look forward to the season starting in September.”

De Sousa returned to the freelance ranks in Britain this year after his retainer with King Power Racing was not renewed and he has partnered 31 winners so far this term.

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Kodiac Colt A New Rising Star At York

York's Knavesmire had witnessed a TDN Rising Star on Saturday as Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) streeted his 2-year-old peers and there was another to earn that tag on Sunday as Amo Racing Limited's Walbank (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) romped to a seven-length success over the track's flat fast five furlongs. The 2022 Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale topper at 525,000gns had the misfortune to run into Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}) on debut at Ascot May 7, but this Sky Bet Sunday Series EBF Novice S. offered easier pickings and he was 2-7 to make amends. Sent straight to the front by Silvestre De Sousa, the David Loughnane-trained bay from the Niarchos family of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) was far too strong for Beautiful Sunrise (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). That rival, who had previously been 5 1/2 lengths behind another TDN Rising Star in Miami Girl (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) at Newmarket, paid the price for taking on the favourite for the first half of the contest and tired to end up only 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Minnesota Lad (Ire) (Sioux Nation).

Walbank is the first foal out of the useful sprinter No Lippy (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), whose career wins included Chester's Lily Agnes Conditions S. She is a full-sister to the Listed Hopeful S. winner and G3 Bengough S.-placed Polybius (GB) and a half to the aforementioned Albigna, who also captured the G2 Balanchine S. They are out of the G2 Prix de Pomone winner and GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational runner-up Freedonia (GB) (Selkirk) from the family of the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Domedriver (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). No Lippy's yearling filly is by Mehmas (Ire), while she also has a foal full-sister to Walbank.

2nd-York, £15,000, Novice, 5-22, 2yo, 5fT, :58.70, gd.
WALBANK (IRE), c, 2, by Kodiac
     1st Dam: No Lippy (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB)
     2nd Dam: Freedonia (GB), by Selkirk
     3rd Dam: Forest Rain (Fr), by Caerleon
(525,000gns 2yo '22 TATBRE). Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, £11,903. O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-David Loughnane. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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