De Sousa continues golden spell with double; NEWCASTLE.

Byline: Tom O'Ryan

EIGHT winners in June, 16 in July and now six more in the first week of August. Silvestre de Sousa is hot stuff.

The Brazilian-born jockey, a real pocket dynamo, rode a double here on Angelo Poliziano and Sea Salt, which nudged his tally through the 40-winner barrier for the first time in a British season. De Sousa's previous best score was 35, achieved last season.

Angelo Poliziano got home by a length and a half from Noodles Blue Boy in the 5f handicap, and drew a powerpacked finish from De Sousa, who has few bigger fans than Ann Duffield.

"He's a fabulous little rider," said the winning trainer. "It's taken a little while to find the key to this horse but I may run him again under a penalty on Saturday night in one of those reoffered races at Ayr."

Sea Salt further highlighted De Sousa's talents when he came late to nail Darcey in the 6f seller.

The one-eyed winner was retained at the auction for 5,000gns by Ronnie Barr on behalf of owner Brian Morton.

Barr, who has had Sea Salt only for a couple of months, said: "There's not a bad bone in his body."

Paul Midgley enhanced his best-ever campaign by scoring with Wiseman's Diamond, who completed an across-the-cardouble for him, initiated at Pontefract by Exit Smiling.

Paul Pickard, riding for his boss, was in the saddle on Wiseman's Diamond, who bounded clear to win by seven lengths, the biggest winning margin on the card.

Ian Brennan, who joined John Quinn in the spring, rode a peach of a race to win the 7f handicap on Violent Velocity.

The apprentice bided his time on the six-year-old, who needs to be held up, and produced him inside the last to put him in front without the winner knowing he had been in a race.

Hoof It, trained by Mick Easterby for golfer Lee Westwood and his manager, Chubby Chandler, made it third time lucky in the 6f juvenile maiden.

Fulfilling the promise he had shown in his two previous starts, he did his job in grand style under David Allan.

Alan Munro made his journey north worthwhile by bagging the 1m maiden on West With The Wind, trained by Peter ChappleHyam for Kirsten Rausing.

Richard Hills won the opening nursery on odds-on Azizi, trained by William Haggas, who mastered William Morgan, passing the post with four and a half lengths to spare.

v v Star performances The in-form Silvestre de Sousa, who rode a double, and talented apprentice Ian Brennan, whose cool handling of Violent Velocity made his 7lb claim look a steal v v Deserved better Paul Hanagan, sidelined on Tuesday with a hand injury, returned to action with five mounts. Only problem is, all five finished second j j Which horse looks destined for better things after landing the nursery? Results and analysis start page 73