De Sousa slashed to 1-5 for the title after a fabulous five-timer

Former champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa took a routine Friday card by storm with a 969-1 five-timer and left the track as short as 1-5 to regain the championship after landing the final race on the appropriately named Dominating.

A four-timer at Yarmouth on Wednesday had confirmed him at the peak of his powers for the busy summer months, and his five Sandown winners made it 12 for the week and stretched his lead over reigning champion Jim Crowley and William Buick in the Stobart-sponsored title race to 16.

De Sousa, who headed on to Goodwood for four more rides, is as big as 33-1 to be top jockey at Royal Ascot next week, but at the regular meetings that form the vast majority of the programme he has few peers.