Teal hoping patient approach pays off with July Cup-bound Oxted

Roger Teal hopes his patient handling of crack sprinter Oxted can pay off, with the four-year-old being aimed at the July Cup next month.

The son of Mayson stepped forward from handicap level with an authoritative length win in the Group 3 Abernant Stakes earlier this month. Teal avoided the temptation of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot to ensure his sprinter would be fresher for his big target on July 11.

Oxted is a general 20-1 chance for the July Cup but his trainer has confidence he can continue to progress.

The Lambourn trainer said: "We went to the Abernant thinking he’d come on for the run so if he has improved for it he’ll be in the mix.

“A lot of horses had a tough race in the Diamond Jubilee and that’s the race I wanted them to have as we’ll be going to the July Cup with a fresher horse.

“He’ll be taking on older horses with experience, though. We’ll pick our races with him this year and hopefully we’ll have a nice sprinter for a few years to come.”

Royal Ascot winners Hello Youmzain and Golden Horde top the betting for the July Cup, while connections of Sceptical confirmed he could be heading to Newmarket.

July Cup mission on the cards for Diamond Jubilee third Sceptical

Teal also provided an update on Kenzai Warrior, who finished sixth in the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

He said: “The run probably came a bit too soon for Kenzai Warrior. He’s a big three-year-old and the Guineas probably took a bit more out of him than we thought, even though the signs were good at home. He’s a better horse than that and there’ll be better days to come with him.

“I want to freshen him up now so we might look at Goodwood, although I can’t buy a winner there and have been trying for years, or maybe we'll head to France when restrictions are eased.”

Read more

'It's been smashing': Alan King delighted with surprise Royal Ascot treble

Royal Ascot under the microscope: our team discuss the main talking points

David Baxter with his expert verdict on Royal Ascot's six two-year-old races

New subscribers can get 3 months of Members' Club Ultimate subscription for just £10 with promo code 3FOR10. Get exclusive tipping, unlimited video replays, exclusive interviews and much more. For more information visit https://www.racingpost.com/landing/members-club-3-months-for-10-web/