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When he left São Paulo in 2004, he had not gone much further than the city limits, let alone travelled abroad. But now at the age of 28, he is recognised as fast becoming one of the best jockeys in Britain, and it is thought that it won't be long before he lands a job at one of the top stables in the country. The only reason he actually got the opportunity to ride was because of a chance meeting with Fausto Durso, who suggested to him that he had the right physique for a jockey. He ended up becoming only one of three riders to work for Dermot Weld and the only thing that held him back at the time was his grasp of the English language which meant that he only landed a handful of rides. Things changed however when he met David Nicholls in 2006 at the Curragh, and he ended up moving to Yorkshire. De Sousa now admits that he is and always will be indebted to Nicholls, who has given him plenty of chances - by the end of 2006 he had ridden 27 winners with his greatest success being the win of the Two Year Old Trophy at Redcar. 2009 really has been De Sousa's year, as he now, after having ridden 64 winners so far, is just outside the top 10 in the jockey's championship. Ryan Moore is looking likely to win the Chmapionship this year after winning it in 2006 and 2008, with Kieron Fallon as his closest challenger. While De Sousa may not quite be in Moore or Fallons league just yet, he is getting there. He acknowledges that now at the age of 28, he is riding better than he ever has done in his career, and what has previously made it difficult is that British racecourses are not easy to ride. What makes him special however is the fact that he is very impressive on a horse, even if it is his first time riding it. He is extremely keen to learn from his mistakes, and takes time to watch videos of his rides and other racing in an effort to constantly improve his riding. De Sousa is a modest man and is already a Classic winner. Last winter he rode the 44-1 winner of the Indian Derby at Mumbai and at the end of the turf season at Doncaster, he will be off to India again. His priority before next year's Flat season is to visit his family in Brazil who he has not seen in five years now. He admits that they are not racing fans but keep up to date with his races on the computer, and they know that he does ride some winners!
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