Trainer Roger Teal hopes his gamble of swerving a trip to Royal Ascot pays off when Oxted goes off in the July Cup.
The four-year-old made a winning return to action in the Betway Abernant Stakes Group 3 at Newmarket earlier this month, beating Breathtaking by a length.
Oxted was tipped to head to Royal Ascot for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes but Teal avoided the temptation to send his charge into action.
Teal has his sights set on the July Cup at Newmarket and believes taking a patient approach could prove beneficial in the long run.
“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,” Teal said.
“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.”
