Jockey De Sousa ends O’Shea’s 12-year reign in UAE racing

As the curtain fell on another electrifying UAE racing season, it was Silvestre de Sousa who stood tall etching his name into local racing folklore by clinching his first UAE Jockeys’ Championship.

- Leslie Wilson Jr [e-mail]

And he — the Brazilian-born, British-based rider — did it in emphatic style, ending the remarkable 12-year reign of champion jockey ‘Tadhg 0’Shea in a gripping title race that went down to the wire.

De Sousa finished the season with 54 wins, seven clear of O’Shea, sealing the deal in the final stretch of the campaign. It was his dominant ride aboard Dubai Future in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup at the glittering Dubai World Cup meeting that all but wrapped things up, giving him a decisive edge heading into the final meetings at Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.

“I’m just delighted with the kind of season I’ve had,” De Sousa said. “To be the leading rider in my first full season in the UAE means a lot. It’s never easy — especially here in the UAE where it is ultra-competitive. But I had incredible support from the boss (Musabbeh Al Mheiri) and the Yas Racing team. I'm really grateful.”

It was a season of comebacks and crowning moments. For Emirati trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri,