Roger Teal has explained the reasons behind the return of his July Cup-winning sprinter Oxted, now 10, who hasn't run since 2021.
The son of Mayson was last seen running as a five-year-old when third in the 2021 July Cup at Newmarket following a game bid to retain his title and he was officially retired due to injury in 2024 after repeated attempts to get him back to the track.
However, after appearing in the early entries for the newly-named Group 2 Go Local Stores Minster Stakes at York on Wednesday May 13 the veteran looks all set to make a remarkable return to the track.
Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Teal said: "He's been off the track since 2021 and he's been my wife's hack for the last two years. He still shows the enthusiasm that he did many years ago so I crazily said we should give him a chance back on the track.
"We put him back into training and he's still showing the same enthusiasm that he ever did. I might be mad, I don't know, I just think he loves being a racehorse and I think he deserves another crack.
"I describe him as a vintage car, one careful owner, and we're very low mileage. We just want to see if he still retains the ability that he did have.
"We decided to retire him but once he got over his injuries he has come back like a bullock. He doesn't want to be a happy hacker, he wants to be a racehorse - he tells you that himself.
"He has always enjoyed what he does. He enjoys his work, he's very enthusiastic, he's a sprinter who likes to get on with things.
"At the moment he's telling us the right things so we made the entry. He probably will run before York. There's the Palace House at Newmarket, the Abernant - that might come too soon, and the goal is the July Cup again and the King's Stand (now the King Charles III Stakes).
"We're in no doubt he'll need his first run, but won't judge him on that. He's not a handicapper, he's a Group horse and we won't run him unless we think he can maintain that standard."
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