Old Saxony

That sole win came at Southwell in October 2024, and it arrived on the back of what trainer Paul Nolan felt was a difficult stretch: the horse had been racing in a category where the competition level left him with little room to build confidence, and Nolan was clear in his view that the official rating Old Saxony had been given was tougher than it should have been. Getting him into the right race, at the right distance, on the right track, mattered — and when those pieces aligned at Southwell, he delivered. It was not a fluke. It was a horse finally racing on his own terms.

The distance is worth noting. Over trips of one mile six furlongs to two miles — the longer end of the spectrum — Old Saxony has won 1 from 3, or roughly 1 in 3 races. That is a dramatically better conversion rate than his overall record suggests and points to a horse who genuinely needs time and space to get into a rhythm. Shorten the trip, and you are not seeing the best of him.

At Class 5 level — the everyday, bread-and-butter grade of British racing — he has actually drawn a blank in four attempts, which sounds strange for a horse who found a way to win. The fact that his win came elsewhere suggests he is a horse who rewards patience and careful placement rather than being thrown into the routine grind week after week.

Based in Enniscorthy with Paul Nolan's yard, which has already sent out 25 winners this season, Old Saxony is clearly in capable hands. He raced just one day ago and remains active, meaning his the yard are still looking for the right opportunities. The question now is whether that Southwell win was the beginning of something, or an isolated peak. For a five-year-old still finding his feet, the honest answer is that nobody knows yet — but there is enough here to keep watching.