Frankel colt Oxagon in command in Craven

In a renewal of Newmarket's Gr.3 Craven Stakes it was TDN Rising Star Oxagon (Frankel) who benefitted under enterprising tactics yesterday (16th April).

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 17th April 2026, by Tom Frary:

Sent off the 7-4 second favourite, last year's Champagne Stakes runner-up who was sporting first-time cheekpieces was sent straight to the front by Oisin Murphy and dictated to suit. Applying the pressure on the approach to the dip, Prince Faisal's homebred who had been fifth in the Dewhurst and the Futurity Trophy in the autumn stayed on strongly to score by two lengths from Avicenna. The 11-10 favourite Hidden Force ( also by Frankel) was three-quarters of a length away in third.

"He's the perfect model, a good mover and has a nice temperament and he was very professional today," Murphy said. "He was focused in the cheekpieces and hopefully he can go on now to bigger and better things. He will get a mile and a quarter in time."

John Gosden is looking at the main event in just over two weeks' time: "After he won at Sandown last season, we had a high opinion of him and he probably let the race get away from him in Doncaster, was a tad disappointing in the Dewhurst and I then stupidly ran him in heavy ground at Doncaster," he said.

"He has trained well this year and I think the addition of cheekpieces has just focused his mind today. He is one of those horses that things come easily to and he can be a little bit dreamy at home. Oisin feels it's an open Guineas and we should go for it. He is a nice horse and deserves to take his chance."