Champ to focus on quality over quantity next season after third title success

Anyone with designs on becoming champion Flat jockey in Britain next season will be delighted to hear that winning machine Silvestre de Sousa will be focusing more on the big meetings and the big races after celebrating his third title at Ascot on Saturday.

The relentless 37-year-old is set for a winter stint in Hong Kong, but the strain of racing to the four corners of Britain to ride enough winners to stay ahead of the pack has been felt this year and the rider from Brazil is hoping for a more controlled pace next season.

“It’s hard and you need a lot of support,” said De Sousa. “I had great support from my agent [Shelley Dwyer] – she’s worked very hard this year. When you think about next year you always have a doubt – you never know. It depends on a lot of things and is hard work.