Noble Tune’s Family Features At Breeders Cup

Rathmor’s exciting young stallion, billed as one of the best stallion prospects to ever come to South Africa was well represented at the Breeders Cup over the weekend, all with top results.

Beginning with Liam’s Map, who shares the same sire Unbridled’s Song as Noble Tune – winning the Gr1 Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, filly Wavell Avenue by Harlington (Unbridled – Serena’s Song) was victorious in the Gr1 Fillies And Mares Sprint, whilst Noble Tune’s half-brother Honor Code wasn’t disgraced to finish third behind the great American Pharoah in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Classic.

Both Liam’s Map and Honor Code will be welcomed at Lane’s End Farm on Sunday morning following the Breeders Cup, to retire to stud in Kentucky.

The Breeders Cup Classic field for a stake of $5million read like a World Championship, with the likes of Keen Ice, Tonalist, Frosted and Britain’s great Gleneagles all getting a run and finishing behind Honor Code,  who once again made up phenomenal ground after lying lengths off the rest of the field, coming from stone last to race past the bulk of the field and finish third.

Interestingly, American Pharoah is bred on the same pedigree cross as Noble Tune, with Unbridled on the male side and Storm Cat on the female, a cross once again that is showing its dominance in America and has produced the likes of Close Hatches, Bodemeister, Will Take Charge, Unbridled Forever and Rizeena – the latter a Gr1 Coronation Cup winner who also features in Noble Tune’s immaculate damline of Gr1 winners.

Canadian-bred filly Wavell Avenue is a daughter of Harlington, who entered stud in 2009 at Hill ‘n Dale Farm in Kentucky and has subsequently been sold to stand in Saudi Arabia.

He is a son of Unbridled (sire of Unbridled’s Song) out of the great Serena’s Song, the third dam of Noble Tune. Harlington was Unbridled’s most expensive yearling ever sold – for $2,8million, after a brilliant debut win he won six races, including the Gr2 Gulfstream Park where he beat Funny Cide.

The last best colt of the great stallion A.P. Indy, it was Honor Code’s final race before retiring to stud.

Owned in partnership by Dell Ridge and Lane’s End, the dual Gr1 winner of the Metropolitan Mile and the Whitney Stakes will be standing alongside the likes of Frankel’s full-brother Noble Mission, Lemon Drop Kid, Union Rags, Langfuhr, Candy Ride and Mineshaft. His service fee has yet to be announced.

Noble Tune is welcoming his first exciting crop of foals at Rathmor Stud this season, all displaying their sire’s quality, good size and great bone. Noble Tune has covered a full book of mares this season including some outstanding broodmares, both locally and countrywide.

His fee for the current breeding season is R25 000.