Sandown: ‘We’ll look at Goodwood next’ – Charlie Hills eyeing another big sprint after Equality records first Group win – MyCyberBase

The last time Charlie Hills won the Coral Charge he went to the Qatar King George Stakes at Glorious Goodwood next with a certain Battaash, and it is a path he will follow with his most recent winner Equality.

Sent off at 7-1 under William Buick, Equality broke well, grabbed the rail and once he hit the front he never looked like being passed to run out a length and a half winner from Makarova, with Tiber Flow third. Marshman, the 3-1 favourite ridden by Ryan Moore, disappointed in eighth.

Equality is five, unlike Battaash who was three when he won this in 2017, but Hills, who won the King George last year with his most recent Group 1 star Khaadem, believes he is a horse who is only just beginning to fulfil his potential.

He said: “I’ve always thought he’s a Group performer, but it’s taken him a long while to get to where we are. It’s taken him a long time but he’s a half brother to Badri who is a year older and he’s just started having a good time of it as well, so perhaps it’s a slow-maturing family.

“He’s a horse in form and I was delighted with his win last time at Windsor. Since then it was always the plan to come here and we’ll look at Goodwood next. The 2mm of rain before the off probably helped as he wouldn’t want it fast.”

Patience rewarded for Perotto connections

Patience has proved to be a prerequisite of owning Perotto and it was finally rewarded when the 2021 Britannia winner got back on the scoresheet in the £100,000 Coral Challenge.

Fifteen consecutive defeats followed that Royal Ascot success, yet the five-year-old’s Halcyon Thoroughbreds owners never lost faith – and nor did those punters who helped to send the Tom Marquand-ridden winner off as 5-1 joint-favourite.

Perotto win the Coral ChallengeCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Roger Varian took over training duties from Marcus Tregoning this season when it was concluded “a change of scenery” was needed but Halcyon spokesperson Liam Keighley pointed to the application of a hood and Perotto’s treatment by the handicapper as the key factors in the lucrative victory.

Keighley said: “He has come down massively in the handicap over the last couple of years and we’ve been a bit shocked by that because he has never run a bad race – so thanks very much to the handicapper.

“It has been a long and arduous time since the Britannia but we’ve always said that if he gets the right ride and luck in running there aren’t many who can beat him.

“Roger is an absolute magician and the hood has helped an awful lot today. It has worked an absolute treat on him. I think that was the making of him.”

Pearl placing pays off for Haggas

Perotto was the first leg of a quickfire double for Marquand, who partnered 22-1 outsider Mystic Pearl to victory in the following £50,000 Listed Coral Distaff.

Running a 78-rated filly in a Listed race was a most un-William Haggas move, but the trainer revealed afterwards it was something of a shot to nothing as the filly would have gone to the sales had she been unsuccessful.

Mystic Pearl: brings up a double for Tom Marquand

Credit: Mark Cranham

“She is in the July sale on Thursday. Bar Hugo’s [Palmer, trainer of runner-up Stenton Glider] horse I thought they were a disappointing bunch of fillies so it was worth a shot. Then we got the outside draw, but fortunately we had a good jockey.

“We quite liked her today, which I know sounds funny off 78, but when fillies are in form and she looked well – you hope. You can’t win a Listed race if you don’t run in one.”

As for her future, Haggas added: “She won’t go to the sales now, but I’ve no idea what we’ll do. It’s sort of job done in a sense. I expect we’ll try a mile and a Group 3, somewhere in France perhaps. We’ve nothing to lose.”

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