Silvestre de Sousa returns from injury layoff with two rides at Ascot on Friday

Three-time champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa, who sustained multiple injuries in a Chelmsford fall in August, returns to the saddle with two rides for King Power Racing at Ascot on Friday.

De Sousa resumes on 92 winners for 2019, and the first target will be to reach a century for the tenth consecutive year as he eyes getting back to peak fitness for Champions Day later this month.

“It’s been hard to miss so much racing, but it could have been a lot worse,” De Sousa said. “I’ve been working hard with the physios and in the gym at Peter O’Sullevan House. We’re all very lucky in Newmarket to have such a wonderful facility available.

“I’ve got two rides at Ascot on Friday, and then six on Saturday - five at Ascot and one at Wolverhampton.

“I’m feeling good, but there is nothing like race-riding to improve your fitness. I am looking forward to getting back to work.”

De Sousa, who won the title in 2015, 2017 and 2018, has been on the sidelines since August 23 when his mount Alnadir fell in a 1m2f handicap.

Diagnosis revealed a small fracture to De Sousa's collarbone and a tiny chip to one of the bones in his lower neck.

The jockey is once again due to spend part of the winter riding in Hong Kong, where his contract runs from November 17 until the end of January.

He finished fifth in the Hong Kong jockeys' standings in 2018-19 with an impressive 44 wins from 298 rides during a four-month spell.

His 15 per cent strike-rate was bettered by only Zac Purton and Joao Moreira, earning De Sousa total prize-money of more than £7.2 million.

Did you know you can bet via the Racing Post mobile app/website? Simply sign in with your favourite bookmaker via the Accounts button and then bet direct from our racecards