Roger Teal had the greatest day of his training career when Oxted won the Group 1 Darley July Cup at Newmarket last summer and he is now targeting The Saudi Cup meeting on 20 February 2021 with his stable star.
The Lambourn-based trainer is considering either The 1351 Turf Sprint ($1m) or The Riyadh Dirt Sprint ($1.5m) for his son of Mayson and said: “He came back in last Monday after a short break just to freshen him up a bit. I guess it was about four weeks or so to give him some time to chill out after a busy season. He was out in the field during the day and came back in at night. It seems to have done him the world of good and we now start our preparations for a potential trip to Riyadh in February.
“By the looks of things he hasn’t lost much in the way of fitness despite the break. We will wind him up slowly and gradually step up his exercise routine. The Saudi Cup meeting sits perfectly in the calendar for him as we build towards another season in the UK. We had the option of going to Hong Kong but that meeting just came too late in the season for us. Targeting the Saudi Cup sprints allowed us to give the horse a break then bring him back. We’d love to go there and take our chance.
“He has the option of both races. The obvious one for us would be The Turf Sprint which is run over about six and three quarter furlongs. I suppose his ideal trip would be six but he has won over seven in the past so it shouldn’t be a problem. We will also have a look at The Riyadh Dirt Sprint too which is run over six as we know he goes so well over that distance.
“Obviously, the concern is that he has never run on dirt before but there are several factors that are making us keep our options open. Firstly, I’ve heard really good things about the quality of the dirt surface – I spoke to James Doyle who was very complimentary about it. Also, in the back of my mind I know that he is trained on the all-weather at home and he is a speedy horse that normally holds a prominent position, so the kick-back should be less of a concern.
“We won’t make our minds up for a bit on that front and fingers crossed all goes well over the coming weeks and we can head out to Riyadh. As a Group One winner last summer he deserves his chance at a big international pot like this and it’s really exciting for all of us.”
Teal is also hoping his progressive stayer Ocean Wind will make the cut for The Long Distance Turf Handicap: “I’m not sure he will be rated quite high enough to get in, but I’d love to take Ocean Wind to Riyadh too for The Long Distance Turf Handicap. He came back in last week and has only been trotting since. He’s an exciting prospect who has won his last three and still seems to be improving. The trip and conditions look ideal and I know his owners are keen to give it a go. Fingers crossed we can get him into the race.”