Brazilian jockey Silvestre de Sousa has decided to retract his appeal against a 10-month ban he received in Hong Kong recently.
De Sousa, a former champion jockey in the UK, pleaded guilty, along with fellow rider Vagner Borges, to violating rule 59(3), which prohibits jockeys from betting or having any involvement in bets related to horse racing.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club had stated that Borges had an interest in a bet on his horse, Young Brilliant, during a race at Happy Valley on April 26, and De Sousa had facilitated that bet.
While it was acknowledged that there was no evidence of their intentions to manipulate the race outcome, the stewards emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of racing by prohibiting jockeys from engaging in any form of betting.
Initially, De Sousa had planned to appeal the ban through his solicitor, Harry Stewart Moore. However, on Monday, the Jockey Club announced that De Sousa had withdrawn his appeal, as approved by the stewards.
Consequently, the jockey will serve the disqualification from May 12, 2023, until March 11, 2024, and the appeal deposit will be refunded.
