Silvestre de Sousa ensured the race for the jockeys’ championship will go to the final day of the season at Doncaster on Saturday with a four-timer on the penultimate day.
De Sousa’s brave effort, capped by victory in the last race of the night at Wolverhampton, means Paul Hanagan leads his long-time pursuer by four.
Brazilian ace De Sousa has four booked rides on Town Moor to Hanagan’s seven, and will need to win them all to share the title, unless he picks up a spare, with the standings 165-161 in the defending champion’s favour.
De Sousa started with a double at Ffos Las, but inclement weather prevented his pre-booked helicopter from taking him to Wolverhampton’s evening card, meaning he had to do the 130-mile journey by road at rush hour.
Having missed his first three mounts, his heart would have sunk on arriving at Dunstall Park to find out Warrington-born Hanagan had struck with a brilliant ride on Berbice (11-1) in the first division of the Breeders’ Cup Only On ATR Handicap.
However, De Sousa made up for lost time, winning the next on Trojan Rocket (3-1) in the second division, and would not be denied an all-important success on Raucous Behaviour (8-1) in the Visit attheraces.com/breederscup Handicap.
Both De Sousa’s winners were for trainer George Prodromou.
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