De Sousa: I’m Here to Learn
By Bill Finley
British champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa has won only one race in the four days he has ridden in New York, but told the TDN Friday he has other goals besides winning races.
“(American racing) is something to learn about,” he said. “You’re learning every day in life and the races in America are good. Maybe by being here I will pick up a top mount for Dubai. You never know what will happen. This is a learning process for me and I’m trying to break in somewhere besides the U.K. My weight is good, so it made sense to try it here.”
De Sousa, 34, is a native of Brazil who is coming off his best ever season in Europe. He led all British riders this year with 132 wins.
De Sousa said he has no timetable for his return to Europe, but expects to ride in New York before heading to Florida shortly after Thanksgiving.
“I’ll see how things go,” he said. “The plan was to come here ride a bit in New York and then in December go to Florida and see what happens. I’ll see if I make good connections over here and if I do I will stay a bit longer.”
De Sousa said he plans to return to Europe for the beginning of the 2016 flat season, but left the door open a crack for a permanent move to the U.S.
“I am established in the U.K. so if I don’t get the right mounts here there is no point staying here,” he said. “But if I break in and do well you never know. This probably isn’t for the long term. For the moment I just want to build some contacts.”
De Sousa won Sunday at Belmont aboard Astrologist (Discreet Cat) for Godolphin Racing, for whom he used to be the top stable rider, and trainer Tom Albertrani. Overall, he is one for eight since shifting his tack here.
“It’s hard to come here and get on the best horses,” he said. “It’s hard to break in. The boys here have good relationship with the owner and trainers. You just have to hope you can make some contacts and get on the right mounts.”