Roger Teal believes Dancing Gemini will put up a stern defence of his crown in the bet365 Mile Sandown Park on Friday, but he admits the lack of a run beforehand will make it more of a challenge.
Last year the five-year-old son of Camelot ran out an impressive winner of the Group Two test at the Esher track having previously made a winning return in the Listed William Hill Doncaster Mile.
However, while satisfied with where he has Dancing Gemini the Lambourn handler admits he will take a massive step forward for his run in the £165,000 feature having not had the spin on Town Moor behind him.
Teal said: “We are really pleased with Dancing Gemini, but obviously it is his first run back. We are a little bit behind from where we were last year as we have started later with him as I think by the backend of last year he was a bit jaded as we started early.
“He looks great, and he goes there in good shape, but we don’t have the same advantage as we did last year with having that run under our belt.
“The way he won it last year was very impressive, and if he could put up a performance like last year he should go well. We delayed his preparation a bit this year and win, lose, or draw whatever he does next week he will improve for it.”
All roads after Dancing Gemini’s comeback will lead to a second tilt at the BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes, a race in which he was sent off 2/1 favourite last year. And beyond his return trip to Newbury next month Teal has admitted that he will consider stepping his stable star back up to 10 furlongs again.
Teal added: “If you look at the Lockinge entries they are very strong, but they have all got to turn up on the day, but he is good enough to win a Group One.
“We are also pondering going back up to a mile and a quarter as well. We will head for Sandown, then the Lockinge, then we might go for the Prince Of Wales’s at Royal Ascot.
“We might aim for that this year as he is another year older, and a bit stronger, and he is much more relaxed.”
Teal also reported that dual Group One winner Oxted is thriving ahead of his proposed comeback in the British Stallion Studs EBF Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury on May 10th.
However, Teal insists that the Mayson gelding, who has not been sighted since finishing third during the defence of his July Cup title in 2021, should not be judged on his return, but on his second run back.
He added: “Sue (Teal, wife) has ridden him every day for the last two years, and he has been a very busy horse. He is a sprinter that has two gears which are either walk or flat out. He looks a million dollars and his legs feel great.
“We have had him scanned and done all the right things with the BHA and he has passed all that. I did stick him in at York for the Minster Stakes, as it was an early closer, but we are now going to aim him at the Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury and then there is a Group Three at Newbury.
“We are probably not going to throw him into the King Charles III Stakes or the July Cup. I’m not judging him on his first run, as he has not run for five years. It is exciting as he just loves what he does.”
While there will be some that question the decision to bring Oxted back to the racetrack Teal insists that should the old spark not be there then he will retire him for good.
He added: “I know there are a lot of keyboard warriors out there that are going to slate me, but they don’t know him. We know him and I live with him every day and he has never left the yard since he retired and he is a big part of the yard.
“I wouldn’t be asking him to do it if he didn’t want to, and if he doesn’t fire on that second run then the white flag will come out.”
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