| Saxon | |
| Sire: | Beadsman |
| Grandsire: | Weatherbit |
| Dam: | Girasol |
| Damsire: | Asteroid |
| Sex: | Stallion |
| Foaled: | 1871 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Color: | Brown |
| Breeder: | Joseph Hawley |
| Owner: | Pierre Lorillard |
| Trainer: | William Pryor |
| Record: | 8 starts, 2 wins |
| Earnings: | $5,150 (about $ today) |
| Race: | American Classics wins: Belmont Stakes (1874) |
Saxon (1871–1895) was a British-bred American-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1874 Belmont Stakes, the eighth running of that stakes race.
Saxon was a brown stallion sired by Beadsman, and was bred in England,[1] by Joseph Hawley.[2] 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 miles (i.e. 12abbr=offNaNabbr=off) 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 110lb, and the value to the winner was $4,200 (about $ today),[1] with the winning time being 2 minutes and seconds.[1] The winning jockey was George Barbee, and the winning trainer was William Pryor.[6]
In his racing career, Saxon won 2 times out of 8 starts, with total earnings of $5,150 (about $ today).[2]
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.[7] Gerald, an 1879 brown stallion, won the 1881 Foam Stakes.[5] Hiawasse, an 1879 brown mare, won the 1882 Ladies Handicap, 1881 Monmouth Oaks, and the 1881 Mermaid Stakes.[8] Hiawasse was undefeated as a three-year-old racehorse. Zamora, an 1881 gray mare, won the 1884 Tennessee Oaks.[9]
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 horse lengths.[10]
Saxon died in February 1895 at the Cliff Lawn Stud, the farm of W.B. Cheatham, in Nashville.[11]