Jockey Silvestre de Sousa switches off to stay on form

The Godolphin rider never loses sleep over his weight so it has been a happy ride from Brazil to Dubai.

Silvester De Sousa will have seven rides tomorrow night.

Last season, while in the thick of his challenge for champion jockey, Silvestre de Sousa, Godolphin's newest recruit, would have been one of the busiest riders in Britain.

The 30 year old did not really register on the British racing industry's consciousness until he suddenly emerged as a serious contender for Paul Hanagan's champion jockey title.

His hunt was ultimately fruitless, losing the title to the defending champion by just four wins on the last day of the season.

Following his victory, Hanagan said he needed a holiday after an exhausting season telling British television: "I've got to take a step back. I can't keep going on like this or I won't last long".

De Sousa, on the other hand, appeared in fine fettle and put his high energy levels down to being able to effortlessly make riding weights and his ability to switch off during the day.

"I know a couple of jockeys that don't even sleep, you know. It's not good for the health," he said, "I'm a good sleeper, believe me, I'm a really good sleeper and I find it very easy to switch off. You do get stressed but life's not about worrying.

"I'm a sportsman and if you can't switch off and relax your mind and your body then you could get into trouble."

The fact that de Sousa was able to refuel his body whenever he needed to was also a huge bonus.

"I'm very lucky," he said. "I wake up every morning the same weight so I don't have to waste, which really helps with your energy. I eat what I want. I do worry that it might catch up with me but at the moment I love it."

De Sousa's championship challenge brought him to the attention of Godolphin and he now joins Frankie Dettori, Ahmed Ajtebi and Mikail Barzalona in the ever-swelling royal blue ranks.

His first Dubai World Cup ride tomorrow will come aboard the Mahmoud Al Zarooni-trained, Mendip and de Sousa has six other rides, mostly for Godolphin, on the big day.

The man himself says he was "very lucky" but the truth is that he worked incredibly hard on his journey from champion apprentice in Brazil to retained rider at Godolphin.

The first step on the road took him to the racing circuit in the north of England rather than the more renowned centre of British horse racing at Newmarket.

"I started up north, it's hard to break in with the racing industry and it took some time to get to know the trainers and for the trainers to get to know me," said de Sousa, who has a four-year-old son, Ryan with his long-time partner, Victoria Behan.

"But I was having good support from the small yards and I was getting rides for the big yards as well and I was pleased because if I was having a first ride for a yard, it didn't matter how big or small, they were always happy to put me back up."

De Sousa found support from trainers such as Geoff Harker and David O'Meara and later from Mark Johnson.

It was thanks largely to the support from those three yards that de Sousa was able to challenge for the jockey's championship and so when he was offered the Godolphin position it was to those trainers that he turned.

"Before I took the job I phoned them up and spoke to them and they were happy to see me get a good job and a nice opportunity but at the same time they were sorry that I wouldn't be there for them when they wanted me," de Sousa said.

But it was too good an opportunity to turn down and with the Godolphin position, de Sousa is hoping that he can secure victories in some of Europe's most famous races. "I look forward to a great season ahead in England," he said. "It wasn't an easy decision but I was pleased to be in the situation and I was attracted by the chance to ride in big races."

But de Sousa said he will not forget the people who helped him in his rise through the ranks.

"I have to be there for Godolphin when they call me, but they are very organised and can tell me in advance where I will be. If I can work in some rides for the trainers that supported me in the beginning then I will."

That might mean more long hours spent on the road and, said the rider, another tilt at the jockey's title, but de Sousa does not mind travel.

"When I go racing, if I go from Doncaster to Wolverhampton, I will just switch off, close my eyes and sleep for 40 minutes," he said.

"When I jump in the car, I feel happy because that's what I have in my mind.

"It takes two hours to get to Wolves and I know that I can have my nap for 40 or 30 minutes and then I wake up, open the paper and I'm good to go for my next ride."

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