Lane’s End’s Noble Mission

LANE’S END’S NOBLE MISSION 
Story and pictures by Kelsey Riley 
Earlier this year, Lane’s End Farm embarked on a mission to import a high-quality sire prospect from Europe to join its stallion ranks in Versailles, Kentucky. That horse was this year’s triple Group 1 winner Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), and when it was announced the 5-year-old would take up stallion duties at Lane’s End in 2015, that operation’s Will Farish remarked, “many of the world’s best stallions are in Europe and we feel the need to revert to the days of importing top-class European horses to stand in America.” 

On paper, Noble Mission is undoubtedly nothing short of top-class. By sire sensation Galileo out of the prolific producer Kind (Ire) (Danehill), Noble Mission is a full-brother to the unparalleled world champion Frankel (GB), as well as a three-quarter brother to Group 3 winner Bullet Train (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) and a half to stakes winner Joyeuse (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Kind is herself a half-sister to GI Arlington Million winner Powerscourt (GB) (Sadler’s Wells). 

His pedigree gave Noble Mission a lofty reputation to live up to, but he met those expectations when collecting a trio Group 1s this year while racing as a homebred for Juddmonte Farm and trainer Lady Jane Cecil. After reeling off a pair of clear-cut Group 3 victories over Highclere’s highly regarded Telescope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the spring, Noble Mission bested last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas victor Magician (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in May. He came up a head short in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud a month later but was later rewarded that victory when the first-past-the-post, Spiritjim (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}), was disqualified for a positive test. Noble Mission missed by a half-length in Germany’s G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis in July, and wrapped up his career by replicating his famed elder brother with a gutsy victory over the triple Group 1 winner Al Kazeem (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Champion S. Oct. 18. Also in his wake at Ascot that day was the highly regarded by lightly raced Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Cirrus des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top {Ire}), GI Northern Dancer Turf S. winner Sheikhzayedroad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and last year’s G1 Epsom Derby winner Ruler of the World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). His 2014 exploits saw Noble Mission crowned champion older horse at the Cartier Awards, Europe’s equivalent of the Eclipse Awards. 

The arrival of a horse of this caliber has unsurprisingly caused a stir amongst American breeders, and yesterday Lane’s End hosted a welcome reception that allowed members of the press to see Noble Mission just weeks after his arrival from Newmarket. The well-balanced, leggy bay appears to have settled into his new home seamlessly, and he showed off an athletic, swinging walk before posing for photos. 

Guests were treated to lunch, and Lane’s End’s Bill Farish and Mike Cline, as well as Juddmonte’s Garrett O’Rourke, were on hand to discuss Kentucky’s newest stallion recruit. 

Farish noted that the strong support of Noble Mission by American breeders has been “not surprising, but very encouraging,” and he added the horse’s book would be capped at between 130 and 140 mares. Farish said Noble Mission’s book is “as full as we’d like to it to be” at the current time, and he explained that the mares that had been booked thus far had been carefully selected. 

“We try to get a lot of different types [of mares] and sire lines,” he said. “If you limit it too much, you limit his chances. With 100-plus mares going to the horse we won’t get to see every one, so it’s not an exact science, but by using various sire lines and physicals, you give the horse a better chance.” 

Discussing some of the deciding factors for bringing Noble Mission to the U.S., Farish noted the increasing demand for European bloodlines in America–citing specifically the American presence at the recent Tattersalls December Sale–as well as the growing numbers of sons of Galileo on the market. 

“With the success of Galileo and the number of Galileo’s now at stud in Europe–you can only stand so many in the same region,” he noted. 

Juddmonte has retained shares in Noble Mission, and that operation’s Kentucky manager Garrett O’Rourke said that when the opportunity arose to partner with Lane’s End on Noble Mission’s stud career, it seemed like the perfect fit for Juddmonte. 

“Lane’s End has a history of making stallions, so it was a perfect marriage of class operations,” O’Rourke said. He said Noble Mission will help add, “soundness and brilliance beyond a mile,” to the American breed.