Saxon Warrior

For good reason, Deep Impact was considered the Japanese equivalent of Galileo. The 2005 Japanese Triple Crown winner landed his 11th straight sires’ championship in 2022, whereas Galileo achieved 12 championships. Their equally extraordinary sires, Sunday Silence and Sadler’s Wells, both notched up 14 sires’ championships. The combination of Deep Impact and Galileo clearly has the potential to be something special and Galileo mares have already produced 29 winners, headed by seven Group/Graded winners, to Deep Impact. Its star representatives are the classic winners Saxon Warrior, Snowfall and Auguste Rodin. Saxon Warrior’s dam Maybe represents the exceptional Galileo-Danehill cross responsible for champion sire Frankel, as well as numerous other Gr.1 winners.

Unbeaten as a 2YO, Saxon Warrior landed the Gr.2 Beresford Stakes before his victory over Roaring Lion in the Gr.1 Racing Post Trophy. Saxon Warrior extended his winning sequence to four when he defeated the likes of Masar and Roaring Lion in the Gr.1 2,000 Guineas. Although all his wins were gained over a mile, Saxon Warrior went on to feature in several top middle-distance races, notably finishing a neck second in both the Eclipse and the Irish Champion Stakes.

Saxon Warrior is now showing similar potential as a stallion, with seven SWs from his first crop, including a Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup 2YO winner.

Deep Impact has enjoyed tremendous success with daughters of STORM CAT, with this partnership producing nine Gr.1 winners, including the Prix du Jockey-Club winner Study of Man, the Japanese Derby winner Kizuna and the Japanese Oaks winner Loves Only You. He also sired the French classic winner Beauty Parlour from a mare by GIANT’S CAUSEWAY. This suggests that Saxon Warrior will shine with mares by GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, SHAMARDAL, FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND and LOPE DE VEGA. His first two starters out of LOPE DE VEGA mares are at least useful, including Gr.1-placed Impact Warrior, and his first runner out of a GIANT’S CAUSEWAY mare is the French Gr.3 2yo winner Moon Ray. Deep Impact has a Gr.2-placed Listed winner with a dam by FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND. Daughters of SCAT DADDY should be ideal.

Deep Impact has Gr.1 winners out of several DANZIG line mares, including daughters of BERTOLINI, LIBRETTIST and ORPEN, and he has a Gr.3 French winner with a dam by ANABAA. Saxon Warrior already has a Gr.2 winner with a 2nd dam by ANABAA. The GREEN DESERT branch merits serious consideration now that Saxon Warrior has sired the tough Victoria Road, winner of the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, from a mare by INVINCIBLE SPIRIT. This opens the door to daughters of KINGMAN, OASIS DREAM, CAPE CROSS, SHOWCASING and SEA THE STARS. Daughters of SEA THE STARS create 4x3 to Urban Sea.

Danehill and Sadler’s Wells will be back in the fourth generation of Saxon Warrior’s progeny, so he has plenty of scope with both these dominant sire lines. Mares by the many successful stallion sons of DANEHILL create only 4x3 to Danehill. DANEHILL DANCER sired the Oaks winner Dancing Rain from Saxon Warrior’s family. DEEP IMPACT has Gr.1 winners out of daughters of FASTNET ROCK, REDOUTE’S CHOICE and ROCK OF GIBRALTAR, as well as a Gr.2 winner with a dam by DANSILI and a Gr.3 winner out of a DANEHILL DANCER mare. Saxon Warrior’s Gr.2-placed Listed winner Thornbrook is another out of a DANEHILL DANCER mare.

Similarly, daughters of Sadler’s Wells’s noted stallion sons, such as MONTJEU, HIGH CHAPARRAL, BARATHEA and IN THE WINGS, create only 4x3 inbreeding. Grandsons of Sadler’s Wells, such as CAMELOT, MOTIVATOR and AUTHORIZED, create 4x4.

The broodmares sires of Deep Impact’s Gr.1 winners include SADLER’S WELLS (Prix de Diane winner Fancy Blue) and two sons of Sadler’s Wells’s brother FAIRY KING. SADLER’S WELLS and his three-parts-brother NUREYEV jointly sired the second dams of 7 of Deep Impact’s Gr.1 scorers. Saxon Warrior has already sired the Gr.2-winning Lumiere Rock from a mare by NUREYEV’s grandson GOLD AWAY and a 2023 2yo Listed winner from a mare by PEINTRE CELEBRE. Deep Impact’s top son Auguste Rodin has a 2nd dam by PIVOTAL and his Gr.1 Tenno Sho winner Jusin Palace is out of a grand-daughter of THEATRICAL. Mares by SIYOUNI produce 4x4 to Danehill.

Deep Impact owes quite a lot of his success to mares from the MR PROSPECTOR line, including siring Gr.1 winners from daughters of LYCIUS (2), MACHIAVELLIAN (2), KING KAMEHAMEHA (2), EL CONDOR PASA, ELUSIVE QUALITY, SMARTY JONES (2) and UNBRIDLED’S SONG (2, including the Triple Crown winner Contrail). Saxon Warrior’s options include daughters of DUBAWI, RAVEN’S PASS, ZAFONIC, ZAMINDAR, IFFRAAJ, NAYEF, STREET CRY, MEDICEAN and DUTCH ART. He already has the Gr.2 placed 2YO Borna from a KING’S BEST mare.

Deep Impact also owed several of his Gr.1 winners, including his 2021 Japanese Derby winner Shahryar, to the A.P. INDY line, via Pulpit’s sons TAPIT and ESSENCE OF DUBAI.

The black-type winners by Deep Impact’s older stallion sons include several inbred 4x4 to HALO and others are inbred 3x3 or 3x4 to Halo’s son SUNDAY SILENCE.

Daughters of RAINBOW QUEST produced the Gr.1 Japanese winner Ask Victor More to Deep Impact and the Gr.1-placed Gan Teorainn to Saxon Warrior.

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