Silvestre de Sousa's triumph in this year's race to be crowned champion jockey was truly a victory for the underdog.
The eighth of 10 children, the 34-year-old Brazilian was raised on a 200-acre farm and was riding horses and ponies from a tender age as he helped his father to round up cattle, pigs and goats among other animals.
De Sousa did not speak a word of English when he and a few compatriots moved to Ireland in 2004 to work for Dermot Weld, but in the subsequent decade he established himself as one of the weighing rooms most dedicated and talented members.
Since officially being crowned champion jockey at Ascot in October, De Sousa has spent time riding in America, but during a brief trip back to his home in Newmarket to visit wife Vicky and son Ryan before jetting off to Hong Kong earlier this month, he caught up with Press Association reporter Ashley Iveson for a question and answer session about his life and career so far, as well as his hopes for the future.
AI: Who inspired you and when did you first realise you wanted to be a jockey?
SDS: I probably really decided that was what I wanted to do when I was 17. I'd ridden horses and ponies back on the ranch for my dad and then went to Sao Paulo when I was 17 to ride racehorses. It was obviously a lot different to riding at home. It's so competitive and you soon learn if you want to be a successful jockey you have to be completely dedicated. The biggest inspiration when I was younger was Fausto Durso, who was one of the leading jockeys in Brazil at the time. He went on to be champion jockey in Macau and was well known all over the world. After moving to Europe I would say Mick Kinane and Johnny Murtagh were the two jockeys I looked up to most. They were winning a lot of the big races at the time and they were both brilliant riders. I also have to say Tony McCoy was phenomenal. He rode over jumps, but he was a phenomenal inspiration to any jockey. His never-say-die attitude was unbelievable, incredible to watch.
AI: What other jobs have you done outside of racing?
SDS: Apart from working on the farm, the only other job I did in Brazil was working in my brother's furniture factory. I don't even know if I could say it was a job. I was 14 at the time and I was just giving him a helping hand, building furniture and moving it and things like that. It was just something to do. Other than that all I've ever done is ride horses.
AI: How difficult was the decision to move to Ireland in 2004?
SDS: It was difficult but it was something I just felt I needed to do. Luckily I had a few other lads from Brazil go with me, which made it easier, but I was homesick for a while and thought about going home a lot. We just kept saying, 'We'll stay one more month and then we'll go home', but I never did. It was great working for Dermot Weld. I learnt a lot from him and working on the Curragh, I galloped horses for a few other trainers as well. It was very different to riding on the track at home. Galloping a horse over a straight mile on the grass felt strange for a while, but it was just something else to learn and match up with the experience I had of riding in Brazil.
AI: The following year you moved across the Irish Sea to join Dandy Nicholls.
SDS: Working for Dandy was great. He put me up on one of my first big winners, Handsome Cross in the Scottish Sprint Cup (2006) and that was probably my big break. While I was with Dandy I got to ride for a lot of other trainers in the north, people like Alan Brown and Mark Johnston. I won four races on a horse called Blue Maeve in one season for Alan, so that was great. Northern trainers have probably been my biggest supporters since the start and I still love riding in the north now.
AI: In 2011 you lost the jockeys' title by just four winners after a memorable battle with Paul Hanagan. Did you think your chance of being champion had gone after such a narrow defeat?
SDS: It was very frustrating as I tried my heart out all year and to come so close was difficult. I definitely thought my chance had gone. That year I was riding for Mark Johnston a lot and Paul was riding for Richard Fahey at the time. I actually think I rode better in 2011 than I did this year. I suppose coming so close did spur me on, but I honestly didn't think I would be champion jockey after that.
AI: So having been so heartbreakingly denied, how did it feel to lift the title this year?
SDS: It was incredible - fantastic. It was a shame I couldn't ride a winner on the last day at Ascot, that would have been great, but we just couldn't get good enough rides. As I said, I didn't think I had a chance at the start of the year. Some people say because I was a freelance it was an advantage, but I don't agree. When you're riding for a trainer or have a retainer, you know the rides are going to come. As it was I didn't have a job and wasn't attached to a big stable. Mark Johnston has been a great supporter, but I couldn't ride all the horses for him as James Doyle and William Buick would ride the Godolphin horses. I thought at the start of the year if I had 100 winners it would be a very good season. The prize-money is so low now. At one time you probably needed 50 winners to break even, but you need a lot more than that now. I thought if I had 100 winners and made a good living, I'd be happy, so to be champion jockey and have 132 winners was more than I could have hoped for.
AI: For obvious reasons you weren't too keen to talk about the prospect of being champion in the middle of the season, but, in your own mind, when did you feel it was a genuine possibility?
SDS: For the last three weeks I was pretty confident it would happen, but you never know. I think at one stage I went three weeks without having a winner, so that was difficult, and then there were days I would ride a winner but someone else would ride two or I would ride two and someone else would ride three. I just kept thinking if I can keep 20 or 25 winners ahead, I can do it and thankfully it worked out that way in the end. To be honest, I would have been heartbroken if it hadn't happened as I was trying my heart out all year.
AI: What are your plans for the winter and will you be going all out to defend your crown next season?
SDS: I've been riding in America for a while and I'm going to take the family back home to Brazil for Christmas and spend some time there. It will be a bit of a working holiday as I think I'll probably ride some horses while I'm there, but hopefully we'll have some time on the beach as well. I don't know whether I'll be going to Dubai yet. I was offered a job there but decided not to take it as I just wanted to do something different. I think I'll probably look to get back to racing in Britain in April-time and we'll just see how things go. I'll just try to ride as many winners as I can.
AI: What have been the best moments of your career so far?
SDS: Winning the Dubai World Cup (2014) on African Story was a big night and also winning the Champion Stakes (2013) at Ascot on Farhh was really good. Those are probably the two biggest days of my racing career so far. For this season I would say winning the Juddmonte International at York on Arabian Queen. She was a big price (50-1). We expected her to run well, but was a surprise for sure that she beat Golden Horn. It was also nice to win on Malabar at Glorious Goodwood for Mick Channon as he has been a big supporter of mine.
AI: What is the best horse you have ever ridden?
SDS: I would probably say Farhh. Winning the Champion Stakes was great on his last run and we also won the Lockinge together that year. I won on him on his only run as a three-year-old, Frankie (Dettori) rode him the following year and then I got back on him as a five-year-old, which was great. A couple of times he was beaten by Frankel and he was just beaten by the filly (Moonlight Cloud) in France once. He had a few injury problems, but on his day he was a really good.
AI: Can you give readers a horse to follow for 2016?
SDS: Arabian Queen stays in training, so she is probably the best horse I will be riding next year. She won a Group Three and a Group One this season, so hopefully she will do well as a four-year-old. I can't really think of any others at the moment - I just hope I get on something! You hope you might get on a nice two-year-old early in the year and see where they can take you.
AI: What young riders should we be keeping an eye on for next year and beyond?
SDS: Tom Marquand was champion apprentice, so he is an obvious one. Tom did really well and worked really hard, as did the apprentice with Richard Fahey, Jack Garritty. They are both really good riders and I just hope they can make that next step in their careers as these are the tough times, when you're a full professional and don't have your claim any more. Another jockey I think will do really well this year is Sean Levey. With Richard Hughes retired, he should get more opportunities with Richard Hannon and I think he will hit the big time this season.
AI: Do you have a favourite band or genre of music?
SDS: I enjoy all different types of music. I like R&B and Reggae, it just depends on the occasion. I don't really have a favourite band, but I do like The Eagles.
AI: Do you have a favourite movie?
SDS: Not really - there are too many good films out there! I like action movies and films based on true stories. One film I want to see, but haven't had chance yet is the one about Tony McCoy (Being AP). That should be really good and I think it's good for racing.
AI: It's a difficult question for most jockeys to answer, but do you have a favourite food?
SDS: I like BBQ food, steaks and things like that. I couldn't be a vegetarian. I like meat and mashed potatoes. I'm lucky my weight is quite good so I have a meal every single night. Sometimes you might have to miss breakfast or lunch, but I always eat a full meal on a night.