G1 Breeders’ Cup Winner for Saxon Warrior
Shuttling to Australia this spring, Deep Impact’s dual Group I winning son Saxon Warrior was on the board at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in Kentucky with his quality colt Victoria Road (2c Saxon Warrior x Tickled Pink, by Invincible Spirit) winning an epic battle with the Godolphin runner Silver Knott to win the Group I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Colts (1m).
The Aidan O’Brien trained colt had won his three previous starts, breaking his maiden in Ireland before winning a Listed and then a Group III in France prior to travelling across the Atlantic.
Given a great ride by Ryan Moore, Victoria Road travelled sweetly on the fence and when angled into the clear was very strong to the line to win by a long head over Silver Knott.
Victoria Road has made steady improvement all year and has four wins and two seconds from eight starts.
"When he stepped up in trip, it looked like he would get seven furlongs, when he got seven furlongs, it looked like he was going to get a mile. He won over nine furlongs the last time," Aidan O'Brien said.
"He's a horse that had pace to run over five and six furlongs no problem. And when you're that type of horse that relaxes the way he does and gets that type of trip, we thought this was going to suit him well."
Purchased for 115,000 guineas by MV Magnier from the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, Victoria Road is the first stakes-winner among five winners produced by Group III winning Invincible Spirit mare Tickled Pink.
Victoria Road comes from an outstanding family with Tickled Pink a half-sister to multiple Group I winning blue hen Halfway to Heaven, the dam of two champion fillies by Galileo in Magical and Rhododendron, who has also produced a Group I winning 2YO this season in Auguste Rodin, who is by Saxon Warrior’s sire Deep Impact.
He is the first Group I winner for Saxon Warrior, who has sired 21 first crop winners in the Northern Hemisphere, three of them stakes-winners.
Saxon Warrior will have his first Australian runners this season and stands at a fee of $19,250.
The Coolmore team of Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore also took out the Group I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Fillies (1m) with No Nay Never filly Meditate, who s cored by two and a half lengths.
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A Group II winner in Ireland and twice Group I placed, Meditate becomes the seventh Group I winner for No Nay Never and is his third juvenile Group I winner this year.