Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}), winner of the G1 Darley July Cup S. last out on July 11, will not line up in the G1 Betfair Sprint Cup S. at Haydock on Sept. 5, trainer Roger Teal announced on Twitter Tuesday. The 3-year-old, who was one of the top contenders for the race did not please Teal in a work on Tuesday morning. Oxted also won the G3 Abernant S. in June.
“As to not mislead the punters out there, Oxted is a non-runner on Saturday,” Teal tweeted. “He wasn't his usual self this morning and we have made the decision to pull him out. We are desperately disappointed for the whole team and connections. It's better to let people know straight away.”
Teal is awaiting the results of some tests after the sub-par work.
Added Teal, “We've had a trach wash done, and we're still waiting on the results of that. Everything was fine yesterday, and the horse worked really well on Saturday, but didn't this morning.
“We always let him tell us in his final bit of work before a race whether he's ready for it, and I just wasn't happy, and you can't go into a Group 1 if you're not 100% confident the horse is at the top of his game.
“It's devastating for all of us, because we've been looking forward to going to Haydock for a long time–but with the ground on the softer side as well, we have to be 110% sure, because if he did run and disappointed I'd kick myself to the church and back.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
