York legend Copper Knight primed and ready for ‘his’ race

Copper Knight is all set to line up on Friday at York in the race staged to celebrate his course feats – ‘The Copper Knight Winning-Most Horse Handicap’.

The evergreen 11-year-old has emerged victorious from seven of his 34 starts on the Knavesmire, making him York’s most prolific modern-era achiever.

Under the banner of Ventura Racing, he is the beloved property of the Denham family – four generations of whom are planning to cheer on the veteran in his latest assignment.

The Tim Easterby-trained speedster is part of a 20-strong field for the six-furlong handicap and recent signs suggest he’s as competitive as ever. Last Saturday, the gelding surged to a one-length success at Redcar – the 18th win of an extraordinary 115-race career.

Tom Denham, who works at Easterby’s Great Habton Stables to the east of York, said: “He’s just been an unbelievable horse to be involved with. He still loves getting up in the morning and going for a canter.

“People ask all the time – ‘when are you going to retire him?’ – but he just loves the job so much. There are no plans to retire him on Friday anyway.

“I’m lucky enough to work at Tim’s and get to see him most mornings. It’s just an absolute joy to be involved with him. We don’t take anything for granted. I’m hoping to be in racing for a very long time and I’m not sure I’ll ever have one as good as him.”

Tom and his brother James will be at York with their grandfather Keith and father, Tony. Tom will also be accompanied by his baby son Rupert, who was present when Copper Knight won at Pontefract in June.

But it's York that is Copper Knight’s and the Denham family’s favourite Yorkshire stomping-ground. Tom said: “We love coming to York Racecourse. To have a horse that loves it just as much as we do is an absolute dream for us. I think he always has a bit of a chance when he goes to York.”

Copper Knight is scheduled to be in action on Friday at 4.25pm – York’s seven-race card gets underway at 1.30pm with the William Hill Autumn Mile Handicap. The racecourse’s final fixture of 2025 takes place on Saturday afternoon with the £100,000 Coral Sprint Trophy as the feature race.