Noblesse (horse)
Encyclopedia
Noblesse was a champion thoroughbred racehorse and was also the greatest filly ever trained in Ireland. Owned by American Evelyn Olin
, she was sired by Mossborough, who also sired the great Ballymoss
, and was out of the mare
Duke's Delight (by His Grace). Having been bought as a yearling for 4,200 guineas by the Anglo-Irish Bloodstock Agency, she went into training with the legendary Irish trainer, Paddy Prendergast on the Curragh
. Noblesse was not the most handsome filly, being small and light-framed but when galloping she had an attractive, easy-moving action. Although trained in Ireland she never actually raced on Irish soil.
's Blue Seal Stakes, she was preceded by a tall reputation. Starting a short-priced favourite, she lived up to the hype with a very impressive 5-length victory. This was followed by just one more run that season when taking on the colts in the Timeform Gold Cup (now known as the Racing Post Trophy
) at Doncaster
which, at the time, was the richest two-year-old race in Europe. Impressive though she was at Ascot, her performance at Doncaster was even more so, settling the issue in a few strides a furlong from the finish and passing the post on a tight rein with a 3-length advantage. She is still the only filly ever to have triumphed in this prestigious race. The performance earned her the title of Champion two-year-old filly for 1962 and she finished the season as ante-post favourite for both the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks
in 1963.
in May for the Musidora Stakes
, a recognised trial for the Oaks
at Epsom. Again she was very impressive, quickening away from her rivals inside the final two furlongs to win eased down by six lengths. This resulted in her starting as a red-hot 11/4-on favourite for the Oaks a few weeks later.
The performance of Noblesse in the Oaks of 1963 was one of the finest performances ever seen in the race. When asked to quicken by her jockey Garnet Bougoure
approaching the final furlong, she sprinted away from her rivals and won in a canter by 10 lengths. Rarely had a classic race been won as easily and it was described in Tony Morris and John Randall's acclaimed publication 'A Century Of Champions' as "the crushing Oaks victory which made her Ireland's greatest filly." Indeed it led many to regret at the time that she had not been in the field for the Derby a couple of days earlier. However it was hoped that she would get the chance to take on Derby winner Relko
in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot the following month. Unfortunately though, she injured a hock and had to be withdrawn, leaving the way clear for her stable companion Ragusa
to win the race.
at Longchamp in October. Her preparatory race was to be the Prix Vermeille
which is run over the same course and distance as the 'Arc'. Ridden by Lester Piggott
in the 'Vermeille', Noblesse started a short-priced favourite but was surprisingly beaten into third place, showing none of her summer sparkle. However, the reason for her poor performance was soon evident as she returned lame to the unsaddling enclosure and with very little time left to get her back fit and ready to run in the 'Arc', it was decided to retire her. It was a sad end to a short but otherwise glittering career and it came as no surprise when she was named Champion three-year-old filly for 1963. Timeform
, racing's highly respected judges, summed her career up as follows:
), who ensured that her name would live on indefinitely. She emulated her mother by winning the Musidora Stakes at York and made a valiant attempt to add the Oaks at Epsom but had to make do with second place behind the 1,000 Guineas winner Mysterious. However, it was as a broodmare that Where You Lead really excelled. Amongst the winners she bred were Slightly Dangerous (by Roberto
), a graded winner who also finished second in the Oaks and she in turn bred English and Irish Derby winner Commander in Chief
(by Dancing Brave
), Champion 2-y-o & 3-y-o colt Warning (by Known Fact) as well as seven other foals who won or were placed in stakes races. Where You Lead also bred I Will Follow (by Herbager
), a stakes winner in France who bred the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
and Coronation Cup
winner Rainbow Quest
(by Blushing Groom
), himself a leading sire.
It was her 3 daughters who ensured that the legacy of Noblesse would live on for many years to come and right up to the present day you will find her name in the pedigrees of numerous top-class racehorses. The Noblesse Stakes
, a Group 3 race for fillies and mares which is run every year over one-and-a-half miles at Cork racecourse represents a lasting tribute to one of the greatest racehorses ever trained in Ireland.
John M. Olin
John Merrill Olin was an American businessman. He was the son of Franklin W. Olin.-Early life:Born in Alton, Illinois, Olin graduated from Cornell University with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry and as a brother of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity...
, she was sired by Mossborough, who also sired the great Ballymoss
Ballymoss
Ballymoss was an Irish Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. The son of Mossborough, his grandsire was the extremely important Nearco. Out of the mare Indian call, the damsire of Ballymoss was Singapore whose sire was the 1918 U.K. Triple Crown winner Gainsborough.Ballymoss was sold by his breeder at...
, and was out of the mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Duke's Delight (by His Grace). Having been bought as a yearling for 4,200 guineas by the Anglo-Irish Bloodstock Agency, she went into training with the legendary Irish trainer, Paddy Prendergast on the Curragh
Curragh
The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
. Noblesse was not the most handsome filly, being small and light-framed but when galloping she had an attractive, easy-moving action. Although trained in Ireland she never actually raced on Irish soil.
Champion 2-y-o
Paddy Prendergast was known as an outstanding trainer of juveniles and when Noblesse travelled over to England as a two-year-old to make her debut in AscotAscot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
's Blue Seal Stakes, she was preceded by a tall reputation. Starting a short-priced favourite, she lived up to the hype with a very impressive 5-length victory. This was followed by just one more run that season when taking on the colts in the Timeform Gold Cup (now known as the Racing Post Trophy
Racing Post Trophy
The Racing Post Trophy is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October....
) at Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
which, at the time, was the richest two-year-old race in Europe. Impressive though she was at Ascot, her performance at Doncaster was even more so, settling the issue in a few strides a furlong from the finish and passing the post on a tight rein with a 3-length advantage. She is still the only filly ever to have triumphed in this prestigious race. The performance earned her the title of Champion two-year-old filly for 1962 and she finished the season as ante-post favourite for both the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
in 1963.
Classic Success
The following spring was one of the coldest on record and as a result, Noblesse was very slow to come to hand, meaning that Prendergast was unable to get her ready in time for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. She eventually re-appeared at YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in May for the Musidora Stakes
Musidora Stakes
The Musidora Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
, a recognised trial for the Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
at Epsom. Again she was very impressive, quickening away from her rivals inside the final two furlongs to win eased down by six lengths. This resulted in her starting as a red-hot 11/4-on favourite for the Oaks a few weeks later.
The performance of Noblesse in the Oaks of 1963 was one of the finest performances ever seen in the race. When asked to quicken by her jockey Garnet Bougoure
Garnet Bougoure
Garnet Bougoure was an Australian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who was highly successful competing in South-East Asia and in Europe....
approaching the final furlong, she sprinted away from her rivals and won in a canter by 10 lengths. Rarely had a classic race been won as easily and it was described in Tony Morris and John Randall's acclaimed publication 'A Century Of Champions' as "the crushing Oaks victory which made her Ireland's greatest filly." Indeed it led many to regret at the time that she had not been in the field for the Derby a couple of days earlier. However it was hoped that she would get the chance to take on Derby winner Relko
Relko
Relko was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1963 Epsom Derby. A grandson of Tantieme, he was owned by French hotelier, François Dupré and bred at his stud farm in Pont-d'Ouilly in the Basse-Normandie region....
in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot the following month. Unfortunately though, she injured a hock and had to be withdrawn, leaving the way clear for her stable companion Ragusa
Ragusa (horse)
Ragusa was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by American Harry Guggenheim who owned his dam Fantan II, he was sired by Ribot. Sold at the Ballsbridge Sales for 3,800 guineas, Ragusa was purchased by trainer Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast for owners James R...
to win the race.
Final Start
As a result of her hock injury, it was decided to give Noblesse a couple of months rest before preparing her for a tilt at Europe's richest race, the Prix de l'Arc de TriomphePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
at Longchamp in October. Her preparatory race was to be the Prix Vermeille
Prix Vermeille
The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1897, and it...
which is run over the same course and distance as the 'Arc'. Ridden by Lester Piggott
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow". With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time....
in the 'Vermeille', Noblesse started a short-priced favourite but was surprisingly beaten into third place, showing none of her summer sparkle. However, the reason for her poor performance was soon evident as she returned lame to the unsaddling enclosure and with very little time left to get her back fit and ready to run in the 'Arc', it was decided to retire her. It was a sad end to a short but otherwise glittering career and it came as no surprise when she was named Champion three-year-old filly for 1963. Timeform
Timeform
Timeform Publications is a publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry...
, racing's highly respected judges, summed her career up as follows:
"The 'sixties saw some lowly-rated Oaks winners but the 1963 winner was one of the best. Noblesse (rated 133) beat her Oaks field by the staggering margin of ten lengths, her fourth race and fourth win........Noblesse is a small, rather lightly-made filly, long and low, strongest behind the saddle, no beauty to look at, except when she is galloping; her action is fluent and effortless, and she has a perfect temperament for racing. She had only five races in her career, but she was not a robust filly, and even if she had kept fit, a more severe programme might have been to her detriment. In the first four of her races she hardly needed to gallop seriously for more than fifty yards, but she won all of them by a wide margin, and her turn of foot was something to marvel at."
Legacy
Noblesse retired to stud in America and proved to be a very successful broodmare. She had 5 foals before her untimely death in 1972 but all five won races, two of them being stakes winners whilst all of them were stakes placed. However, it was her final foal, Where You Lead (by Raise A NativeRaise a Native
Raise a Native was an undefeated Thoroughbred racehorse that was named 1963 champion two-year-old colt in the Turf and Sport Digest poll. He sired 74 stakes winners, including Majestic Prince and Alydar...
), who ensured that her name would live on indefinitely. She emulated her mother by winning the Musidora Stakes at York and made a valiant attempt to add the Oaks at Epsom but had to make do with second place behind the 1,000 Guineas winner Mysterious. However, it was as a broodmare that Where You Lead really excelled. Amongst the winners she bred were Slightly Dangerous (by Roberto
Roberto (horse)
Roberto was an American-bred Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who competed in Ireland and England.-Background:Roberto was bred by Galbreath at his Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. The son of the successful sire Hail To Reason out of the dam Bramalea, Roberto's grandsire was Turn-To, a...
), a graded winner who also finished second in the Oaks and she in turn bred English and Irish Derby winner Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief (horse)
Commander in Chief was a British thoroughbred racehorse, foaled in 1990 by Dancing Brave out of Slightly Dangerous. His damsire was the 1972 Epsom Derby winner Roberto, and his grandsire was Lyphard, a son of Northern Dancer....
(by Dancing Brave
Dancing Brave
Dancing Brave was a thoroughbred racehorse, foaled in 1983, a bay colt sired by Lyphard out of Navajo Princess. He was purchased as a yearling by Khalid Abdullah for US$200,000 in Kentucky....
), Champion 2-y-o & 3-y-o colt Warning (by Known Fact) as well as seven other foals who won or were placed in stakes races. Where You Lead also bred I Will Follow (by Herbager
Herbager
Herbager was a French Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire in both France and the United States. He was sired by Vandale, a stayer who won the 1946 Prix du Conseil Municipal and whom Herbager would help make the 1959 Leading sire in France. His dam was Flagette who was inbred...
), a stakes winner in France who bred the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
and Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
winner Rainbow Quest
Rainbow Quest (horse)
Rainbow Quest was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion broodmare sire. Bred in Kentucky by British businessman, Alan Clore, he was a descendant of the great Nearco through both his dam, I Will Follow, and his Champion sire, Blushing Groom....
(by Blushing Groom
Blushing Groom
Blushing Groom was a French Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by American businessman John McNamee Sullivan and was raced by HH Aga Khan IV. A descendant of Nearco, Blushing Groom was sired by Red God and out of the mare Runaway Bride....
), himself a leading sire.
It was her 3 daughters who ensured that the legacy of Noblesse would live on for many years to come and right up to the present day you will find her name in the pedigrees of numerous top-class racehorses. The Noblesse Stakes
Noblesse Stakes
The Noblesse Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Cork over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
, a Group 3 race for fillies and mares which is run every year over one-and-a-half miles at Cork racecourse represents a lasting tribute to one of the greatest racehorses ever trained in Ireland.