'It's a dream come true' - Silvestre de Sousa joins elite club after riding his 2,000th winner in Britain

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Silvestre de Sousa reached another major milestone in his decorated career when partnering Neyva's Angel to his 2,000th winner in Britain.

The achievement saw the Brazilian-born rider join an exclusive group of jockeys and become just the seventh current rider to reach the landmark.

De Sousa rode his first British winner on Sonic Anthem at Southwell on New Year's Day in 2006 and has enjoyed a distinguished career, highlighted by champion jockey titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

His sole British Classic success came aboard Elmalka in the 1,000 Guineas in 2024, one of 16 Group 1 victories (eight in Britain), with other top-level wins in the Champion Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Dubai World Cup.

De Sousa's first British Group 1 success came aboard Farhh in the Lockinge Stakes in 2013. He now rides on a freelance basis but has enjoyed spells with Godolphin and Roger Varian, for whom he partnered Charyn to victory in the QEII in 2024.  

The Martin Dunne-trained Neyva's Angel provided the landmark success with a decisive victory in the 5f handicap, justifying favouritism at odds of 13-8.

De Sousa said: "I'm incredibly proud to have reached this milestone in my career, after over 20 years as a professional jockey with so many amazing achievements, this is another great thing to have. I would like to thank everyone who made this possible for me.

"I was just a boy from Brazil, and to have this many winners in Britain is just a dream come true. England is my home now, and to do this here is so amazing, I'm so lucky to have achieved such success. Now being freelance, I get to ride a lot of different horses for different trainers all over Britain. I look forward to all the opportunities still to come."

De Sousa's 2,000th winner came at Yarmouth, a track where he has enjoyed plenty of success. With 89 winners at the seaside track, it is his second most successful turf venue, one winner behind Pontefract.

Wolverhampton is his most successful track overall with 149 winners, while he has amassed more than £30 million in prize-money during his career.

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