Equilateral swoops late to grab York prize

Nick Robson and Ashley Iveson
August 23, 2023 1:57 pm

Handicap strike for Charlie Hills’ popular runner.

Equilateral, running in his first handicap in the UK, defied top weight in the Sky Bet And Symphony Group-sponsored opener at York.

Trained by Charlie Hills, the sprinter is now in the veteran stage as an eight-year-old but is clearly still a force to be reckoned with.

While he had run in handicaps before, they had only been in Meydan, where he won the same event two years running in 2020 and 2021.

Since then he has spent his career dining at the top tables, running in Pattern races with his career-best effort coming behind stablemate Battaash in the 2020 King’s Stand when second.

He had run well earlier in the season to be second in both the Temple and Achilles Stakes at Haydock but was last of 11 at Goodwood behind Highfield Princess last time out.

In a typically helter-skelter affair, York specialist Copper Knight made a bold bid but was swamped close home, with Equilateral and Jamie Spencer beating Alligator Alley by a neck with a head back to Jm Jungle.

Hills said: “He’s a yard favourite, he’s always got his head over the door and the day he does leave will be very sad.

“He loves Dubai, he ran well this year without getting his head in front, hopefully that will give him confidence to go forward and go back into Group class. He loves that fast ground.

“He’s in the Flying Five at the Curragh and that is a definite option. If Khaadem can win a Group One at 80-1 then this fellow can!”