Oxted is a British Thoroughbred racehorse who specialises in sprinting. After running fifth on his only start as a juvenile he won a maiden race on his three-year-old debut and ended his second campaign with a victory in the Portland Handicap. As a four-year-old he made significant improvement to win the Abernant Stakes and July Cup.
Background
Oxted is a bay horse with a white sock on his right hind leg bred in England by his owner Homecroft Wealth Racing, a syndicate which included Tony Hirschfeld, Stephen Piper and David Fish. He was sent into training with Roger Teal at the Windsor House Stable in Lambourn, Berkshire. He was gelded before the start of his racing career. He was from the third crop of foals sired by the July Cup winner Mayson. Oxted's dam Charlotte Rosina showed some racing ability, winning four minor races from seventeen starts. Charlotte Rosina was a female-line descendant of Myrobella making her a distant relative of Snow Knight, Linamix, Big Game, Chamossaire and Policeman.
Racing career
2018: two-year-old season
On his racecourse debut Oxted started at odds of 33/1 for a maiden race over six furlongs on soft ground at Doncaster Racecourse on 10 November. Ridden by Liam Keniry he kept on well in the last quarter mile and finished fifth of the fourteen runners, beaten nine lengths by the winner Dazzling Dan.
2019: three-year-old season
Oxted began his second campaign on 28 April at Salisbury Racecourse in a novice race over seven furlongs in which he was ridden by David Probert. Starting a 25/1 outsider he recorded his first success as he disputed the lead from the start and won "readily" by two and a quarter lengths from The Night Watch. When he was stepped up in class for the ListedCarnarvon Stakes at Newbury Racecourse three weeks later he led for most of the way before being overtaken in the final strides and beaten half a length by Khadeem. He then ran sixth behind Waldpfad in the Group 3Hackwood Stakes at Newbury in July and finished a distant last of four behind Tabdeed in a minor race at Doncaster Racecourse on 3 August. Two weeks later he was assigned a weight of 128 pounds in six furlong handicap race at Newmarket Racecourse and ran second to his old rival Dazzling Dan beaten half a length after finishing strongly. At Doncaster racecourse on 14 September Oxted started at odds of 14/1 in a twenty-two runner field for the Portland Handicap over five and a half furlongs on good to firm ground. He was assigned a weight of 133 pounds but carried three pounds less as he was ridden by the apprentice jockey Cieren Fallon. He raced just behind the leaders down the centre of the course, went to the front inside the final furlong and won by half a length from the six-year-old gelding A Momentofmadness. He was the first horse of his age to win the race since 2000. After the race Roger Teal said "He'd started to shine in his work so we were pretty hopeful, but I started panicking when I looked at the stats for three-year-olds. It was an amazing day in the end. He's still a baby and only a frame at the moment. He's worth giving a chance to and I think he could be seriously nice next year."
2020: four-year-old season
The flat racing season in Britain was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Group 3 Abernant Stakes, which saw Oxted make his first appearance of the year, was run on 5 June behind closed doors at Newmarket. The gelding started 7/2 second favourite behind the Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Brando in a seven-runner field which also included Emaraaty Ana, Breathtaking Look, Mr Lupton and Keystroke. Ridden by Fallon, Oxted went to the front approaching the last quarter mile, accelerated into a clear lead, and held on in the closing stages to win by a length from Breathtaking Look. Teal commented "It has been a stop-start campaign and I had him primed to run in this in April. Thankfully we eased off with him and when we got the date for this we knew what was happening so we stoked him up a bit and God bless him he has done it well. He popped out and travelled lovely. I saw him powering up the hill. Cieren said he was just having a bit of a look around, but he did it nicely". On 11 July Oxted was stepped up to the highest class to contest the Group 1 July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket in which he was ridden by Fallon and started at odds of 12/1 in a twelve-runner field. Golden Horde started favourite while the other contenders included Hello Youmzain, Brando, Khadeem, Sceptical, Threat, Equilateral, Southern Hills, Namos and Sir Dancealot. Oxted tracked the leaders as Golden Horde set the pace before gaining the advantage in the last quarter mile and keeping on well to win by one a quarter lengths from Sceptical with the favourite a neck away in third. After the race Fallon said "He's very fast and versatile, he's won over five and a half and seven, he goes on soft and quick. It shows what a good horse he is and I was just a passenger on a very good horse".
