Equiano set for France test

Dubai:  Equiano and Paco Boy were the two high-profile absentees from the Betfair Sprint Cup.

The Barry Hills-trained five-year-old, who is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, will instead take his chance at the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp, France on October 3.

The plan is to give Equiano more time to recover after his disappointing run at York where he was last of 12 in the Group One Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes last month.

Paco Boy will have have his next outing in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp tomorrow.