Vogel Vlei Stud’s promising young stallion Red Ray came up with his first G1 winner when his three-year-old son Red Saxon, a member of his sire’s small first crop, scored a courageous win in Saturday’s G1 WSB SA Classic (1800m) at Turffontein.

The Joe Soma trained colt stayed on doggedly to best favourite Safe Passage in a thrilling duel over the closing stages of Saturday’s R1 500 000 contest, and land his biggest win thus far by a neck.
In the process, Red Saxon provided his jockey Julius Mariba with his first G1 success.

Bred by Narrow Creek Stud, Red Saxon is out of the Casey Tibbs mare Rodeo Sioux.

The colt, runner up in the G2 World Sports Betting Dingaans earlier this season, has now won twice from just six starts, with his win on Saturday pushing Red Saxon’s earnings to R1 091 250.

Red Saxon hails from his sire’s first crop, with Red Ray’s initial crop of runners also including the very smart filly Alula’s Star.

A son of multiple champion sire Western Winter (whose sire sons also include the very successful What A Winter), Red Ray was a top-class galloper who accounted for G1 winners Real Princess, Gulf Storm, Talktothestars and Fly By Night when victorious in the 2016 G1 Mercury Sprint (a race won previously by such successful sires as Jet Master and What A Winter).