Saxon | |
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Sire | Beadsman |
Grandsire | Weatherbit[1] |
Dam | imported Girasol |
Damsire | Asteroid |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1871 |
Country | England United States |
Colour | Brown |
Breeder | Joseph Hawley |
Owner | Pierre Lorillard |
Trainer | W. Prior |
Jockey | G. Barbee |
Record | 8 starts, 2 wins |
Earnings | $5,150 (about $100,000 today) |
Major wins | |
1874 Belmont Stakes | |
Horse (Equus ferus caballus) |
Saxon (1871-1895) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1874 Belmont Stakes, the eighth running of that stakes race.
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Saxon was a brown stallion sired by Beadsman, and was bred in England,[2] by Joseph Hawley.[3][1][notes 1] He was imported into the United States by Pierre Lorillard,[3] along with his dam.[4] Saxon's dam was the imported mare Girasol, who was sired by Asteroid and out of the mare Gillyflower. Gillyflower was sired by Venison.[5]
As a two-year-old, Saxon won the 1873 August Stakes.[5]
Saxon won the 1874 Belmont while owned by Pierre Lorillard. This was the eighth running of the stakes race.[6] The race was run on June 13, 1871 at a distance of 1 1⁄2 miles (i.e. 12 furlongs (2,400 meters)) on a fast track. He finished first by a neck over Grinstead, and third place went to Aaron Pennington. All the horses in the race carried 110 pounds (50 kg), and the value to the winner was $4,200 (about $81,000 today),[7][2] with the winning time being 2 minutes and 39 1⁄2 seconds.[2] The winning jockey was G. Barbee, and the winning trainer was W. Prior.[6]
In his racing career, Saxon won 2 times out of 8 starts, with total earnings of $5,150 (about $100,000 today).[7][1]
As a breeding stallion, he sired three stakes winners: Gerald out of Girl of the Period by Virgil, Hiawasse out of Vandalite by Vandal, and Zamora out of Zoo Zoo by imported Australian.[8] Gerald, an 1879 brown stallion, won the 1881 Foam Stakes.[5] Hiawasse, a 1879 brown mare, won the 1882 Ladies Handicap, 1881 Monmouth Oakes, and the 1881 Mermaid Stakes.[9] Hiawasse was undefeated as a three-year-old racehorse.[10] Zamora, an 1881 gray mare, won the 1884 Tennessee Oaks.[11]
Saxon was used as a breeding stallion by his owner, Pierre Lorillard. Once, Lorillard's brother George, teased Pierre that Saxon's offspring were not as good as expected. Pierre then challenged George to a match race between one of Saxon's offspring against any racehorse that George owned. The result was that Hiawasse won the match race by four horselengths.[10]
Saxon died in February 1895 at the Cliff Lawn Stud, the farm of W.B. Cheatham, in Nashville.[12]
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