In the ancient rhythm of sport and succession, a seasoned hand reaches back across decades to grasp a new opportunity. Silvestre de Sousa, three-time champion jockey and a man who has spent a lifetime measuring himself against the finest horses in Britain, will ride the promising two-year-old filly Pershaada in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 21st — a pairing born of practicality but freighted with history. The connection between jockey, stable, and owner stretches back twenty years, and the race itself carries the weight of a family record unbroken since 1992.
De Sousa takes Pershaada ride in Nunthorpe bid
riding as well as ever at fifty-one years old
Mark
Why does a two-year-old filly running against older horses in a Group 1 race make sense at all?
Mimi
Because she's shown she can improve with every start, and the weight allowance—8st 2lb instead of the usual weight—gives her a real chance. Hannon wouldn't have entered her if he didn't think she belonged.
Mark
And de Sousa taking the ride instead of her regular jockey—is that a downgrade?
Mimi
Not at all. De Sousa is a three-time champion with sixteen Group 1 wins. He's riding as well as ever. The only reason Sean Levey isn't on her is that his minimum weight is higher than what she'll carry.
Mark
So this is about the numbers working out, not about finding a better jockey.
Mimi
Exactly. It's a practical solution that happens to put a world-class rider in the saddle.
Mark
What's the real test here—is it whether she can beat the older horses, or whether she can beat the favorites?
Mimi
Both. But more importantly, it's whether she can sustain the improvement she's shown in every single one of her five races. That's the pattern that matters.
Der Puls
- A weight allowance too light for Pershaada's regular partner Sean Levey opened the door for de Sousa, and the veteran jockey — now fifty-one — surprised connections by confirming he could make 8st 2lb with little notice.
- Pershaada arrives at York with momentum, having won the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood with authority and improved her Racing Post Rating across all five career starts, signalling a filly still finding her ceiling.
- At 10-1, she faces a steep climb into Group 1 company, yet her fourth-place finish in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot at 33-1 already demonstrated she can hold her own against elite juvenile opposition.
- De Sousa brings formidable credentials to the partnership — 2,000 British winners, a 2024 Group 1 aboard Charyn, and a previous Nunthorpe victory in 2021 — lending the booking a weight beyond mere convenience.
- Victory would not only restore the Hannon name to a record last set by the trainer's father with Lyric Fantasy in 1992, but would also echo the story of Middleham Park's own Platinum Queen, who ran second in this very race four years ago before conquering Europe's finest sprinters.
In the ancient rhythm of sport and succession, a seasoned hand reaches back across decades to grasp a new opportunity. Silvestre de Sousa, three-time champion jockey and a man who has spent a lifetime measuring himself against the finest horses in Britain, will ride the promising two-year-old filly Pershaada in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 21st — a pairing born of practicality but freighted with history. The connection between jockey, stable, and owner stretches back twenty years, and the race itself carries the weight of a family record unbroken since 1992.
Silvestre de Sousa has been booked to ride Pershaada in the Coolmore City of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 21st, a pairing that came together for a straightforward reason: the Richard Hannon-trained two-year-old filly will carry only 8st 2lb, a weight below the minimum her usual partner Sean Levey can achieve. When connections reached out to de Sousa's agent, they were pleasantly surprised to learn the fifty-one-year-old could make the weight at short notice. Texted the evening before, de Sousa was delighted to accept.
The jockey's record needs little embellishment. A three-time champion — 2015, 2017, and 2018 — he has ridden sixteen Group 1 winners, reached 2,000 British victories at Yarmouth in June, and claimed a Group 1 as recently as 2024 aboard Charyn at Ascot. He won the Nunthorpe itself in 2021 on Winter Power, and his history with Middleham Park Racing, Pershaada's owners, stretches back to 2006 when he rode his first winner for the stable as a 3lb claimer at York.
Pershaada herself arrives in fine fettle. Last week's Molecomb Stakes victory at Goodwood was comfortable, and she has bettered her Racing Post Rating with every one of her five starts — a trajectory suggesting a filly still maturing. Offered at 10-1 by William Hill, she faces a significant step up in class, though a fourth-place finish in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot at 33-1 earlier in the season showed she is no stranger to quality fields.
The race carries deeper resonances for the Hannon yard. Richard Hannon's father was the last trainer to win the Nunthorpe with a two-year-old filly, doing so with Lyric Fantasy in 1992 — a record that has stood for more than thirty years. Should Pershaada prevail, she would also echo the journey of Middleham Park's own Platinum Queen, who finished second in the 2022 Nunthorpe before going on to beat older rivals in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp. The opportunity, then, is layered: a filly on the rise, a jockey still at his craft, and a family name with unfinished business in Britain's premier sprint.
Silvestre de Sousa, a three-time champion jockey who has ridden sixteen Group 1 winners across his career, has accepted the mount on Pershaada for the Coolmore City of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 21st. The assignment came about for a practical reason: the Richard Hannon-trained two-year-old filly will carry only 8st 2lb in the race, a weight that falls below the minimum de Sousa's usual partner Sean Levey can ride at. De Sousa will be chasing his second victory in Britain's premier five-furlong championship, having won the race in 2021 aboard Winter Power.
Pershaada arrives at York in excellent form. The filly won the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood last week with ease, and she is being offered at 10-1 by William Hill for the Group 1 contest. Across her five career starts, she has improved her Racing Post Rating with each outing, a trajectory that suggests she is still developing as a racehorse. Her earlier season included a fourth-place finish in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot at 33-1, indicating she has faced and competed against quality opposition.
The decision to run Pershaada in the Nunthorpe was made at Monday's second entry stage by Middleham Park Racing, the filly's owners. Tim Palin, the racing manager for the stable, explained the reasoning behind the booking. He noted that de Sousa is a former champion jockey riding as well as ever, and that the two parties have a long history together. De Sousa rode his first winner for Middleham Park in 2006 as a 3lb claimer aboard Blackheath at York, and he finished second in the St Leger on the stable's Ventura Storm a decade ago. When Palin called de Sousa's agent to inquire about the ride, he was surprised to learn the jockey could make the weight with a bit of notice. De Sousa, when texted the night before, was delighted with the opportunity.
De Sousa's record speaks for itself. He was champion jockey in 2015, 2017, and 2018. In June of this year, he rode his 2,000th winner in Britain at Yarmouth. His most recent Group 1 victory came in 2024 aboard Charyn in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. At fifty-one years old, he remains a rider in demand and in form.
Pershaada's participation in the Nunthorpe represents an ambitious step up in class and competition. If she wins, she would follow in the hoofprints of The Platinum Queen, a horse also owned by Middleham Park Racing that finished second in the Nunthorpe in 2022 before going on to beat older rivals in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp later that season. There is also historical precedent within the Hannon family: Richard Hannon's father, also named Richard, was the last trainer to win the Nunthorpe with a two-year-old filly, achieving that feat with Lyric Fantasy in 1992. The race, then, offers Pershaada a chance to make her own mark while potentially restoring the Hannon name to a record that has stood for more than three decades.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Silvestre is a former champion jockey and a multiple Group 1 winner who's riding as well as ever. We go back a long way and he's a friend as much as a jockey.— Tim Palin, racing manager for Middleham Park Racing
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