Danehill stallion Saxon has made his mark as a first crop sire this season.  The Heytesbury Stud resident is now equal leader in the winners category after Saxon Coast bolted in at Bunbury on Sunday.

Saxon Coast (2c Saxon – Big Dam by Is It True) started a $2.50 favourite and he was always travelling like a winner in the Combined Metal Industries Maiden (1100m).  The Lou Luciani trained colt joins Saxabelle, Valley Girl and Red Hot Sax among his sire’s juvenile winners this season.

Saxon and All Bar One (Oaklands Stud) have sired four individual winner each to lead Nadeem, Excites and Red Dazzler on three each.

Saxon Coast is a Heytesbury homebred for Cathy Holmes a’Court – Mather.  His dam Big Dam won five races including a Winter Championship Heat at Belmont Park.  Second dam Lady Kariba (Zabaleta) won the 1992 G1 Karrakatta Plate for Cathy when she wasn’t long out of school.

Big Dam foaled a colt by Husson Lightning last year and was bred back to him in September.

Saxon (Danehill – Jeanetta Cochrane by Sadler’s Wells) was a $165,000 buy at the 2003 Gold Coast Magic Millions.  He won the G2 Queensland Guineas and G3 Doomben Classic and trainer Gerald Ryan believed he would have won a Group 1 but for picking up a virus after his Brisbane campaign.

“Saxon is a grand type and is one of the best bred Danehills to go to stud,” Ryan said shortly after the horse was acquired by the Holmes a Court family to stand at Heytesbury.  “He will succeed at stud!”