Silvestre de Sousa to ride Fame Star in Lion City Cup
Top jockey Silvestre de Sousa will make a flying visit at Kranji to ride at the Lion City Cup meeting on Aug 14.
Licensed from Aug 10 to 14 by the Singapore Turf Club, the Brazil-born international rider is booked to partner Fame Star in the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1,200m).
Australian jockey Daniel Moor was also granted a licence, but for the day itself. It will be his third pitstop visit this year, this time to ride Grand Koonta in the premier sprint.
A Kranji-based jockey from 2017 to 2020, Moor, 37, is now based back in his native Victoria.
A winner of over 2,000 races worldwide, de Sousa is not at his maiden Singapore raid either.
Then briefly retained by global powerhouse outfit Godolphin, he steered Hunter’s Light to sixth place in the now-defunct Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2,000m) in 2013.
Besides his England base where he claimed three champion jockey titles (2015, 2017 and 2018), de Sousa is better known in this region for his regular Hong Kong visits.
The 41-year-old plied his trade in the former British colony at three separate stints between 2015 and 2019, with the career highlight the 2018 Longines Hong Kong Cup aboard Glorious Forever for recently crowned Hong Kong champion trainer Frankie Lor. He also won the International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley the same week.
Arguably the second most famous Brazilian hoop after Joao Moreira, de Sousa has called England home in the last 20 years, even if he did not become a household name overnight.
Born in Sao Francisco do Maranhao, Brazil, de Sousa was crowned Brazil’s champion apprentice jockey at his third year in 2000, but the wanderlust soon bit him.
Two years later, he moved across the pond to Ireland to join trainer Dermot Weld, but only rode work.
It was only after he moved to England two years later, teaming up with North Yorkshire trainer Dandy Nicholls that his career really took off. Interestingly, he rode his first UK winner Sonic Anthem on New Year’s Day in 2006, one day after his 25th birthday.
Such was his meteoric rise that he became stable jockey to Godolphin and Thai outfit King Power Racing (owner of 2021 Kranji Mile winner Minister).
On his impressive resume, he boasts 12 Group 1 winners around the world. Since his first, Hunter’s Light in Italy’s 2012 Premio Roma GBI Racing, he has added the 2019 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes on Donjuan Triumphant, the 2014 Dubai World Cup on African Story and 2013 Dubai Turf on Sajjhaa, among others.
Now a British citizen, de Sousa currently sits in 34th place on 24 winners on the British flat jockeys’ championship.
He goes to scale at 52kg.
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