TOP jockey Silvestre De Sousa has mysteriously withdrawn his appeal against a huge betting ban.
The Brazilian, who was champion jockey three times in the UK before moving to Hong Kong, was given a whopping TEN month suspension earlier this month.
Silvestre De Sousa faces a 10-month spell on the sidelines through suspension
He was judged to have breached betting rules by ‘facilitating’ his pal and fellow Brazilian jockey Vagner Borges in placing a bet.
There is no suggestion he placed a bet himself – and De Sousa was due to appeal the severity of his ban on Monday at Happy Valley racecourse.
But the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced that the appeal had been dropped and that his deposit would be refunded.
De Sousa, 42, pleaded guilty to facilitating Borges in placing a bet on a horse at the original hearing, and his fellow countryman was banned for 12 months.
A statement from the HKJC said: “The stewards have approved an application from jockey Silvestre de Sousa to withdraw the appeal lodged by him against the severity of a ten-month disqualification from May 12, 2023 to March 11, 2024 [both dates inclusive], imposed by the stipendiary stewards on May 12, 2023, for a breach of Rule 59 (3). The stewards further directed that the appeal deposit be refunded.”
Borges bet on his mount, Young Brilliant, in a 1m1f handicap at Happy Valley on April 26 in contravention of the rules.
It is still unclear how De Sousa ‘facilitated’ in betting on his horse, which ended up finishing seventh at odds of 17-1.
The HKJC had accepted the guilty pleas of both riders and noted they both had “an unblemished record in relation to betting offences”.
De Sousa is fifth in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship on 45 winners, having relocated there last year after struggling to re-establish himself in Britain after his release as retained rider to King Power Racing.
The bans De Sousa and Borges received are the lengthiest given by the HKJC since Nash Rawiller was given an 15-month suspension in 2018. He was charged with accepting gifts or money in return for race tips.
De Sousa will not be able to return to race-riding until March 12 next year.
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