Oxted
Oxted was impressive in winning the Group 3 Abernant Stakes. Smartly away from stall one and always up with the pace, he picked up nicely at the two-furlong marker when Cieren Fallon asked him to. The well-backed Breathtaking Look challenged inside the final furlong, but it always looked like Oxted was holding her, even though he did appear to tire on the run up the hill.
It may be that Oxted had plenty in his favour here, in that he raced up with the pace and towards the far side. However, he showed a fine turn of foot to beat a well-backed and talented rival into second place, with the pair of them finishing nicely clear of Emaraaty Ana and Mr Lupton and Brando. Also, trainer Roger Teal said beforehand that he expected him to come on for the run, and he was weak in the pre-race market. The Mayson gelding is only four, he progressed last season as a three-year-old, winning the Portland Handicap on his final run of the season off a mark of 105. He was the first three-year-old to win the Portland since 2000. The handicapper raised him by just 4lb for that, and a mark of 109 left him still with a little bit to find if he has aspirations to compete in the top level sprints, but this was another step forward from that, and there is no telling how high he could go now. This was just his eighth race, and he has lots of scope for progression now as a sprinter this season.
Newmarket, 5th June 2020
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