Silvestre de Sousa Reached 2,000 Victories and Continues to Make History in Great Britain

The Brazilian jockey achieved the milestone aboard Neyva's Angel and became just the seventh active rider to break the two-thousand-victory barrier in the islands

YARMOUTH, England (Special to Turf Diario).– The extraordinary career of Silvestre de Sousa added another memorable chapter this Wednesday. The rider reached 2,000 victories in Great Britain by guiding Neyva's Angel(Harry Angel) to victory in a 1000-meter handicap at Yarmouth, becoming just the seventh active jockey to achieve such a milestone.

Born in Brazil and based in the United Kingdom for years, De Sousa secured his first British success in January 2006. Two decades later, he continues to accumulate milestones in a campaign that ranks him among the great professionals of his generation.

A three-time champion jockey, in 2015, 2017, and 2018, the rider built a career filled with major triumphs, including 16 Group 1 victories and a Classic, the 2024 1000 Guineas (G1), captured with Elmalka (Kingman).

Among his greatest successes are also races of the magnitude of the Champion Stakes (G1), the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1), and the Dubai World Cup (G1).

His first top-level triumph in Great Britain came in 2013 when he rode Farhh (Pivotal) in the Lockinge Stakes (G1).

Currently working as a freelance rider, following successful stints with Godolphin and trainer Roger Varian, De Sousa remains one of the most sought-after professionals on the circuit. It was precisely with Varian in 2024 that he obtained another of his most resounding triumphs by piloting Charyn (Dark Angel) to victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1).

The one responsible for delivering the historic number 2,000 was Neyva's Angel, trained by Martin Dunne, who live up to favoritism with a solid performance to secure a convincing win.

"I'm incredibly proud to have reached this milestone in my career," De Sousa expressed. "After more than twenty years as a professional jockey and having experienced so many wonderful moments, this represents another great achievement. I want to thank all the people who made this journey possible."

The Brazilian also recalled his beginnings and the personal significance of the achievement: "I was just a boy from Brazil, and today to have 2,000 winners in Great Britain is a dream come true. England is my home, and achieving it here holds an enormous value for me," he commented.

The venue was no coincidence either. Yarmouth is one of the racetracks where he has harvested the most success, with 89 victories and a strike rate close to 19 percent. Only Pontefract, with 90 wins, surpasses it among the turf courses where he has celebrated the most.

In absolute terms, his most productive track has been Wolverhampton, where he accumulates 149 successes.

In addition to the victories, De Sousa has generated more than 30 million pounds sterling in purses during his British campaign, figures that reflect the dimension of a career built on talent, perseverance, and an extraordinary capacity for adaptation.

At 44 years old, and still fully effective, the Brazilian made it clear that he does not intend to stop: "Now that I work as a freelance I have the possibility to ride for many different trainers across the country. I look forward with enthusiasm to the opportunities that are still to come," he concluded.

With 2,000 victories already in the bag, the next goal will surely not take long to appear for one of the most successful jockeys the British turf has seen in recent decades.