Silvestre de Sousa is expected to appeal the 10-month ban for betting offences handed down to him by the Jockey Club on Friday.

Brazilian De Sousa was suspended for facilitating a bet for Vagner Borges, while his countryman received a 12-month ban for having an interest in a bet on a horse he rode, Young Brilliant, at Happy Valley on April 26.

While Jockey Club officials remained tight-lipped about the inner workings of their investigation – “as both jockeys have until Monday to appeal, the club will not make any further comment” – it’s expected De Sousa will exercise his right to appeal.

The Racing Post in the United Kingdom quoted De Sousa’s lawyer Harry Stewart-Moore saying he “can confirm Silvestre will be lodging an appeal with the Hong Kong Jockey Club”. As it stands, De Sousa is banned from riding until March next year, while Borges will be sidelined until May.

Hamelin sparkles as stand in

There were 12 rides at Sha Tin on Saturday that had to be redistributed after the disqualification of De Sousa and Borges late on Friday, and of those, Sparkling Knight was the best performed under new pilot Antoine Hamelin.

Considered a $10.5 chance for the Class Four Sai Van Bridge Handicap (1,000m), Sparkling Knight led throughout to salute and continue a spike in form for the Frenchman.

While Hamelin sits in the bottom half of the jockeys’ premiership table with 16 wins for the campaign, three of those have come in the past 10 days as he looks to hit the line strongly.

Chau finds right Method

Fully fledged celebrations are not that common in Hong Kong racing and are even less prevalent following Class Three victories, but the joy was there for all to see after Jerry Chau Chun-lok delivered the goods with a super ride aboard Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Winner Method in the Class Three Macau Handicap (1,200m).

On an afternoon when many were heading towards the outside in the home straight in search of better ground on a rain-affected Sha Tin surface, Chau stuck to the inside rail in a move that paid off handsomely.

Up in his irons and pumping his fist as Winner Method crossed the line a length and a half clear of runner-up Excellent Fighter, a joyous Chau celebrated his 21st win of the season in style after getting the most out of his $11.5 conveyance.

Chadwick hits 300

Matthew Chadwick rode his 300th Sha Tin winner on Saturday as the Tony Cruz Award holder closed in on another momentous milestone in his riding career.

Chadwick swept down the centre of a rain-affected Sha Tin turf track aboard Super Highway for the second time in seven days as last season’s leading local jockey and Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s sprinter posted quick-fire back-to-back Class Four victories.

Best known for his association with California Memory, aboard whom he won the Group One Hong Kong Cups (2,000m) of 2011 and 2012, Chadwick’s triumph was his 300th at Sha Tin and 497th in Hong Kong.

So focused is Chadwick on climbing higher than his current sixth position on the jockeys’ championship ladder he was unaware of the statistical significance of Super Highway’s neck success in the first section of the Macau-Taipa Bridge Handicap (1,200m).

“I didn’t know [about the milestone], but it’s good. Milestones don’t really mean a lot because, in my career, it’s always stop and start, and the momentum I was hoping to build up this season has sort of gone with my injury,” Chadwick said.

“I want to try and get on better horses, obviously, and in better grades. I want to keep performing.”

Super Highway was the first leg of a Sha Tin double for champion trainer Lor, whose Flamingo Trillion won the first section of the Class Four Friendship Bridge Handicap (1,400) under Derek Leung Ka-chun.

Bowman outed for careless riding

Hugh Bowman incurred the wrath of the Jockey Club stewards for the first time this season at Sha Tin on Saturday, receiving a two-meeting suspension after pleading guilty to a charge of careless riding.

Always Awesome crowded Healthy Healthy in the early stages of the Class Four Sai Van Bridge Handicap (1,000m), but it was what happened at the business end of the race that got Bowman into trouble.

According to the stewards’ report, “Bowman pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding in that near the 150m he permitted his mount to shift out when not clear of Triumphant Return, resulting in that horse losing its rightful running when being crowded by Always Awesome”.

Bowman, who rode his 50th winner this term when Tony Cruz-trained galloper Brave Dreams was triumphant in the Class Three Taipa Handicap (1,400m), will sit out next weekend’s meeting at Sha Tin and the Happy Valley programme on May 24.