Saxon Warrior Makes An Impact At Newmarket

Outstanding Deep Impact colt Saxon Warrior achieved what his dam Maybe couldn’t when he won the first classic of the UK season at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Saxon Warrior avenged the defeat of his dam Maybe when the daughter of Galileo was favourite to win the 1000 Guineas for fillies on the same weekend in 2012, finishing third.

Saxon Warrior is the eighth 2000 Guineas winner trained by O’Brien over the last 20 years and is the first time the 3YO classic has been won by a son of a sire based outside Europe since the Gone West colt Zafonic scored in 1993.

Saxon Warrior is by Japan’s champion sire Deep Impact, giving rise to views that Saxon Warrior may be capable of becoming the first winner of the UK’s classic Triple Crown (2000 Guineas, Derby, St Leger) since Nijinsky in 1970.

Deep Impact, who completed the Japanese Triple Crown himself as a 3YO, saw out two miles without any problem when winning the G1 Tenno Sho Spring, defining the pedigree credentials Saxon Warrior requires for the longer classics.

Saxon Warrior is now unbeaten in four career starts with his three wins last season yielding his first G1 win in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster.

Saxon Warrior’s brilliance stems from his dam Maybe, Europe’s champion juvenile filly of her year, and his second dam Sumora, a fast Danehill mare who was a Listed winner over five furlongs.

Sumora also produced Maybe’s full sister Promise To Be True, a G3 winner over seven furlongs and placed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Criterium International.

The family also includes the G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 Preis der Diana winner Dancing Rain (Danehill Dancer and Epsom Derby winning sire Dr Devious (Ahonoora).

Trained by father Aidan O’Brien. Ridden by son Donnacha O’Brien.

The QIPCO goes to and the Japanese-sired, Saxon Warrior…#WelcomeHome #RaceOn pic.twitter.com/LKWzZeZQBr

— Newmarket Racecourse May 5, 2018

Saxon Warrior is one of 33 G1 winners and 111 stakes winners by the Shadai Stallion Station-based Deep Impact.

Deep Impact has covered a handful of Coolmore mares in Japan in recent years. The matings have also produced G1-placed filly September and Saxon Warrior's stakes placed sister Pavlenko.

Coolmore-owned mares by Galileo in foal to Deep Impact this year include the brilliant pair Minding and Winter, Maybe's sisters Fluff and Promise To Be True and Found's sister Best In The World.

Pavelenko was Maybe’s first foal. She has a yearling colt by American Pharoah and was bred to War Front this year.

Maybe’s sire Galileo, has appeared in the pedigrees of the last six 2000 Guineas winners. He is the dam sire of Saxon Warrior, Galileo Gold and Night Of Thunder; sired the winners Gleneagles and Churchill; and is the paternal grandsire of Dawn Approach.

Saxon Warrior provided Aidan O'Brien with his 300th G1 winner on the Flat.

Deep Impact sired his 34th G1 winner on Sunday when his 3YO colt Keiai Nautique (Deep Impact x Keiai Gerbera by Smarty Jones) won the G1 NHK Mile Cup in Tokyo.