Saxon Land

The Saxon Warrior filly Saxon Land is a fine dual-purpose prospect who looks to be nicely treated under both codes.

Bred by Newstead Farm and originally sold for €26,000 at the Goffs Sportsman’s Sale as a yearling, the now four-year-old hails from an excellent family. She is out of the lightly-raced Pivotal mare Turama, who is responsible for a trio of previous winners, most notably the 90+ rated three-time winner Riviera Nights.

Turama is a daughter of the unraced Arazi mare Our Queen Of Kings, making her a half-sister to the Gr.1 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Spinning Queen and the Listed winner Natavia, both of whom have gone on to produce black type horses as broodmares.

With this sort of profile, it was little surprise to see Saxon Land display immediate promise on the track. She was third in a 7f Down Royal maiden on her debut as a two-year-old, finishing behind the useful Sluice and the future winner Cornahilt Soldier, before completing her three runs towards a handicap mark in typically strong maidens at the Curragh and Galway. Both races included future Stakes winners amongst the runners.

Put away for the season after those three runs, Saxon Land didn’t return to the track until the August of her three-year-old campaign. Stepped up to 1m5½f for her handicap debut at Sligo, she confirmed that a rating of 62 is well within reach when finishing third, beaten only a length. It was another terrific performance, and she would have been second but for getting a little tired on her first start in 282 days, losing a place very close to the line.

Saxon Land’s fortunes have dipped in the months following that Sligo effort, including in four spins over hurdles since the turn of the year. Understandably lacking experience in her early attempts over obstacles, she has work to do in the jumping department, but there is still every reason to believe that she has a bright future. As a result of her downturn in form, her flat rating has dipped to just 57, which clearly underestimates her ability, and she also holds an official Irish hurdles rating of 82, which is ripe for exploitation if she can rekindle her spark.

One of her best siblings, the Frankel gelding Zefferino, peaked with three wins as a five-year-old, while there are numerous examples in the deeper pedigree of near relatives excelling with time and maturity, such as Trade Commissioner, Haskoy and Labeeb, who won the Gr.1 Woodbine Mile in Canada as a six-year-old.

All of the above suggests that there should be more to come from Saxon Land. She is well handicapped, has already demonstrated a good level of ability, and remains open to further progress after just 11 starts in total. We look forward to seeing what she can do this year.