'We said we'll follow in Charyn's footsteps and that was brilliant' - Roger Teal to target Lockinge for impressive Dancing Gemini

Roger Teal is hoping Dancing Gemini can emulate top miler Charyn after his stable star roared back to form in the William Hill Doncaster Mile.

The four-year-old was winless in five starts last season, including four Group 1s, finishing second in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Longchamp before running in the Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, won by Charyn, who also failed to score at three before landing this race last year.

After winning at Doncaster, Charyn landed Sandown's bet365 Mile before finishing second in the Lockinge and winning three times at the highest level, and Dancing Gemini could follow a similar route, with the Lockinge his most likely target after his emphatic three-and-three-quarter-length success.

"I'm absolutely delighted," said Teal. "We've always had high hopes for him and I'm excited after watching him do that in a quality field. It was quite an easy watch two furlongs out. It was like a repeat of the Flying Scotsman he won here. It was a brilliant performance and I'm chuffed to bits.

“He ran so well in the French Guineas last year and was in the Derby because he’s bred for further. We’d never had a runner in the Derby so let him take his chance. That took an awful lot out of him, and given that we never got to run him on his favoured ground, he never managed to win last year despite running well."

Roger Teal following Dancing Gemini's comfortable successCredit: Edward Whitaker

On future plans, the trainer added: "The winner of this race last year never won at three and we said we'll follow in his footsteps. We thought we'd start at a mile. He's bred for further but has a blistering turn of foot. 

"We've got some talking to do because there's the Group 2 at Sandown, but he could just go straight to Newbury. 

"We’ll keep our feet on the floor, but he was incredibly impressive there. It all went to plan, I told Kieran [Shoemark] to settle him and it couldn’t have gone any better."

The 9-4 favourite cruised into the lead under Shoemark before stretching clear of the William Knight-trained Checkandchallenge and Botanical.

"I was really impressed," said Shoemark. "I took him for a racecourse gallop two weeks ago and he gave me a proper feel. He retains all the ability he showed last year and seems to like this place. He stays a mile and two furlongs and has a potent turn of foot, so that could be his optimum trip.

"He could be competitive at a high level this year. He seems to have filled out and strengthened from three to four."

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