SOFA SO GOOD

From a furniture factory in Brazil to carving out a career at the top table of British racing

HE once built sofas in his brother’s Sao Paolo factory. Now one-time outsider Silvestre de Sousa is part of British racing’s furniture.

It was once very different for the boy from Maranhao in northern Brazil, who arrived at Dermot Weld’s Rosewell House in 2004 to pursue his dream of a career in the saddle.

The Curragh’s open 5,000 acres, perfect for exercising the thoroughbred, offer little in the way of shelter – and De Sousa felt a long way from home.

“It was very strange – rain and 45mph winds,” remembers the 36-year-old. “We live in a place where it’s 35 degrees all round.

“The freezing cold weather – I could never feel my feet or my hands!”

But today De Sousa, or ‘SDS’ as the punting public know him, could almost warm his toes on the adulation from Ascot’s British Champions Day throng when he is crowned champion jockey for the second time.

Two years ago, a negative energy propelled De Sousa to his first title.

Despite having donned Godolphin’s royal blue silks to present Sheikh Mohammed with victory aboard Farhh in the Group 1 Champion Stakes on this card in 2013 and the sheikh’s own race – the Dubai World Cup – on African Story the following March, De Sousa was moved on in a November 2014 reshuffle.

“When I won the title for the first time, I was just coming off the job with Godolphin and I wanted to prove a point to myself that I was good enough to do it,” he recalls.

“The second time is more special. This time, I’ve been comfortable and I’ve never put myself under any pressure. When you’re under pressure, you make more mistakes than when you’re relaxed. “When your mind’s good you ride better and you get things right.” The revamped jockeys’ championship – now May to October instead of the traditional March to November – has an apt sponsor in Stobart. De Sousa’s challenge has been a long haul. The jockey estimates he has travelled 80,000 miles to partner 850-plus mounts – over 200 more than nearest rival and title incumbent Jim Crowley. The equator measures 25,000 miles. Those rides yielded 155 winners – De Sousa has 201 to his credit in 2017 – a lead of 44 in the jockeys’ table. “I love work,” admits the third youngest of 10 children, who rode ponies on his parents’ cattle ranch but didn’t throw his leg across a thoroughbred until he was 18, learning quickly to become the leading apprentice in Brazil.

“Even when I’m not working, I find something to do. In England, you have to do the garden.

“But it’s been a hard few months for me – I’ve been very busy and I haven’t really stopped.”

Once the campaign is done, De Sousa and wife Vicky will fly to Brazil for a holiday.

The pair met when he moved to England to join the late Dandy Nicholls’ Thirsk stable. She finished third in the apprentice maiden on New Year’s Day 2006 that gave De Sousa his first British victory.

But despite taking a break, he already has a championship defence on his mind. “You can’t stop. Slow down? They’ll pass you,” he adds.

“If I have a good start to the season, I hope to be there next year again. I’m happy when I’m riding winners.”

His freelance status makes De Sousa’s catch more quantity than quality, but a contract with a big player would bring a change of emphasis.

“I’m happy with the way things are going as a freelance. In the weighing room there’s a queue of two or three jockeys for the big jobs.

“But if a job became available and I got the call? Every jockey wants to have a big job.”