Silvestre De Sousa secures maiden victory at Brighton – Horseracing News
Jockey Silvestre De Sousa won his first ever race at Brighton with young filly Al Manaal by a comfortable margin of eight lengths.
Although the seasoned rider has won quite a few races throughout his career, he was under immense pressure going into the Maiden Stakes. Things worked out really well for him though, as he ended up being unmatchable.
After the victory, he said, “That was my first winner at Brighton. It wasn't the strongest race but she's done her job. It's fast ground, when she came down the hill she wasn't enjoying it but when she hit the rising ground she
strode out.”
This was also the first ever victory for Al Manaal, who has appeared in a total of three races until now. She started off her career in 2012 but was unable to make an impression on debut, finishing ninth overall.
However, the three-year-old filly improved her performance next time around, securing the third place in her second race. She was rested afterwards until this season and made a very good comeback with a strong win. This will definitely
improve her confidence, but she is still not prepared to take part in major competitions.
On the other hand, De Sousa will now be heading to the Royal Ascot, where he was initially going to partner Farhh, who is a terrific performer. However, the quality horse will not be taking part in the all important competition
because of not being prepared.
Looking at the situation, De Sousa added, “It's a shame Farhh won't be there next week, he was my main hope, but I still have some nice rides and if I can get a winner I'll be happy.”
Despite that, the winning rider was confident that he would be able to make a strong impression at the Royal Ascot, as he has got some very good stallions available at the moment. He will certainly be looking to go out with the
best of them, after assessing the ground conditions thoroughly.
There are some top quality runners lined up for action at the Royal Ascot and things will be quite interesting once the action kicks off by the end of this month.
Tags: