Leading Breeze-Up rider De Souza dies after ‘freak accident’ in home garden

The Irish racing and Breeze community has been rocked by the news that well-known racing driver Valdi de Souza has died in a “strange industrial accident” at the age of 49.

The Brazilian-born rider’s finest hour in the saddle came in 2007, when he won a Listed race at Curragh with Rock Of Rochelle for trainer Andrew Kinsella.

He has been a fixture at Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud for the past 11 years and the leading Breeze handler paid an emotional tribute to de Souza on Friday night.

“I have been in this business for over 30 years now and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Valdi was the most professional person to work with,” Holland said.

“Working with Valdi was a pleasure and a privilege. He was just an absolute gentleman – the kindest, nicest, gentlest person you could imagine. He loved horses more than anything and when he was on the back of a horse, that was his home. He thought of nothing but horses.

“I have been very lucky to have many great staff who have helped me make Grove Stud a success, but there is no doubt that Valdi was a huge part of our story. My whole family, Vanessa and the children, and former and current staff are absolutely devastated.”

Brendan Holland: paid his heartfelt tribute to de Souza | Tattersalls

De Souza rode as a professional jockey to over a few hundred victories in his native Brazil and was also successful on the racetrack in Saudi Arabia.

As well as Kinsella, with whom he enjoyed a fruitful relationship, he also won a Listed competition on Majestic Times for Liam McAteer. De Souza also worked for a time with trainers Ken Condon and Willie McCreery before honing his skills as one of the best riders on the Breeze circuit.

“Valdi never had a bad word to say about anyone and always spoke very kindly about his time with Willie, Ken, Liam and all the other trainers he had built a good relationship with. He was a very private man. Everyone in the Breeze Up community knew Valdi and he was definitely unaware of the importance he held.

“Six of his family work in racing here in Ireland – Fagner, Jair, Fernando, Adriano, Ramone and Ray – so they are a great family of horse experts and horse lovers. I just hope his family know what a special person he was to us all and how much we will all miss him. Everyone who knew Valdi was even better for knowing him.”

Holland added: “He had some great friends in the industry and was a very proud farmer back home in Brazil. He grew up with Silvestre de Sousa and I’ll never forget him comparing his cattle to Silvestre’s. I think he was very disappointed with Silvestre’s cattle compared to his own and would tell him what he was doing wrong!

“But seriously, this guy’s professionalism is one of the things that has made him a great colleague. He used to go home every year for a little break, but let’s just say last year he got through the winter a little better than most.

“I remember when he came back from vacation last fall. I just looked at him and shook my head because he was carrying quite a few extra pounds. He turned to me and said, ‘To be honest, boss, I’m rather disappointed in myself!’ We had a good laugh about it – that’s the kind of guy he was. I’m going to miss him so much.”

De Souza is believed to have died following a “freak accident” at Holland’s base in County Cork. He was on a ventilator until Friday evening. Funeral details have yet to be finalised.