Saxon Warrior is a bay colt with a narrow white blaze bred in Japan by Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt, a breeding company associated with the Coolmore Stud.

[2] Saxon Warrior is the second foal of his dam Maybe who was awarded the title of European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in 2011 when she was undefeated in five races including the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

[4] Saxon Warrior made his racecourse debut in a maiden race over one mile at the Curragh on 27 August in which he was ridden by his trainer's son Donnacha O'Brien and started at odds of 8/1 in a fourteen-runner field.

[7] The colt's victory gave Aidan O'Brien a record-breaking 26th Group 1 win of the season and saw Saxon Warrior promoted to favourite for the following year's Epsom Derby.

Ridden by Moore he stumbled at the start and had difficulty obtaining a clear run in the straight before staying on in the closing stages to finish fourth behind Masar, Dee Ex Bee and Roaring Lion.

Four weeks later at the Curragh the colt started favourite for the Irish Derby, but despite making steady progress in the straight he never looked likely to win and finished third, beaten half a length and a neck by Latrobe and Rostropovich.

The colt produced a much better effort in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in which he took the lead in the straight and looked likely to win but was run down in the final strides and beaten a neck by his old rival Roaring Lion.

Saxon Warrior was found to be lame after his run in the Irish Champion Stakes and a veterinary examination revealed a serious injury to the flexor tendon in his left foreleg.

[14] c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding In the official European Classification for 2017, Saxon Warrior was rated the second-best two-year-old of the season, three pounds behind his stablemate U S Navy Flag.