Noble Tune, who recently relocated to Camargue Stud, has passed away unexpectedly.

The sire of Gr3 Gold Cup winner Paths Of Victory was humanely euthanised on the operating table after vets did their best to assist the son of Unbridled’s Song.

Noble Tune with a purple pedigree, a Gr2 and Gr3 winner in America as well as finishing second in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Juvenile on Turf, is a half-brother to Gr1 winner and producer in America, Honor Code.

He also shares a dam with newly acquired Rathmor sire Declarationofpeace (War Front), standing at Rathmor Stud which was Noble Tune’s prior home.

Noble Tune, out of a Storm Cat mare from the female line of Serena’s Song, saw his best on the track with Gold Cup winner Paths Of Victory and Copper Mountain, second by half a length to Got The Greenlight in the H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1).

Noble Tune was the only son of Unbridled’s Song to stand at stud in South Africa.

Breeders of such standout performers Gypsy’s Warning, Surabi, Romany Prince and the G1 winning half-siblings Malteme and Wendywood, Rathmor Stud will be offering a superb consignment at the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale this month.

Rathmor’s draft includes yearlings by outstanding stallions Frankel, Captain Al, Dynasty and Var, as well as lots by such exciting and popular young sires Coup De Grace and Global View, while the blue blooded Unbridled’s Song horse Noble Tune has six in the Rathmor draft.

Whilst their places will only be confirmed after National Yearling Sales inspections have taken place in January, Rathmor Stud have a very strong draft beginning their sales preparations for the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.

They include progeny by Frankel, Dynasty and Noble Tune – two of them out of sales topping mares purchased off the CTS Mare Sales in 2017, for R2,4-million (Almosthaditall) and R2,6-million (Queen Of Spain) respectively.

Whilst walking through the paddocks as the colts quietly concentrate on their feed after the breakfast run, Mike McHardy of Rathmor Stud comments that although the paddock is brimming with stock from superior stallions, its important not to ‘mollycoddle’ them and to raise them as normal horses, who dont know who their famous sires are.

Noble Tune has already earned Black Type with his smart grey son White Lightning, who was born and raised at Rathmor Stud. Rathmor have bred the likes of Gypsy’s Warning, Wendywood, Surabi, Romany Prince and Harry Lime amongst others.

Their National yearlings are out of mares bought specifically for Noble Tune, which include:

– Dynasty colt out of Guard The Lines by War Front
  Dam is a full sister to American Gr1 and Gr2 winner DATA LINK.

– Noble Tune out of Spitfire Lady by Hussonet
  Family of PINNACLES and PLANET ROCK.

– Noble Tune out of Mystery Dame by Jet Master
  Half-brother to Gr1 winner LADY IN BLACK, and to Nexus who sold for R1,7-million in 2017.

– Frankel out of Queen Of Spain by Holy Roman Emperor
  Dam a half-sister to MASTERCRAFTSMAN.

– Dynasty out of Almosthaditall by Henrythenavigator
  Dam a half-sister to JUMP START and closely related to MASTERY. Damline of sire MISWAKI.

– Noble Tune out of Golden Earings by Fort Wood
  Dam a half-sister to GYPSY’S WARNING, ROMANY PRINCE and SURABI. 2nd Dam Gypsy Queen has already       produced Black Type grand-children including SO VAR and QUEEN FOREVER. 

Photo Call, a twice-Gr1 winning three parts sister to Flying The Flag has produced her first foal by War Front, a filly.

Her dam Theann is a half-sister to Flying The Flag’s triple Gr1 winning dam, Halfway To Heaven, sharing the speedy third dam of Cassandra Go who raced under Michael Roberts. Both Photo Call and Flying The Flag share super sire Galileo.

Flying The Flag, resident stallion at Warwick and Karin Render’s Bush Hill Stud, is an international Group winner himself and has a dual Gr1 winning full sister in Rhododendron and Gr2 winner, Magical.

Rhododendron is a winner of the Gr1 Fillies Mile and won on Arc day at Chantilly, taking the Prix De L’Opera. She has also placed second in the Gr1 1000 Guineas, Gr1 Epsom Oaks and Gr1 Breeders Cup Fillies And Mares.  In training with maestro Aiden O’Brien, she has earned £1,064,515 in stakes.

Her full sister Magical finished second in the Gr1 Moyglare by a whisker.

Photo Call sold for $3-million at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale as a broodmare prospect and raced on before retirement.

She had six wins, including three Gr3’s and earned $827,447 in stakes.

Flying The Flag’s first foals will be yearlings in August 2018. He is producing foals with plenty of substance and quality, and has attracted support countrywide.

He stands for a fee of R20 000.

Rathmor Stud’s Noble Tune and his half-brother Honor Code had their weanling half-brother by War Front, Lot423 sell for $2,6million to MV Magnier of Coolmore Stud at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale.

Noble Tune’s first foals are on the ground this season and dual Gr1 winner Honor Code, who came from stone last – two lengths off the pack in the Breeders Cup Classic – to finish a courageous third behind American Pharoah.

Honor Code made up the most amount of ground in the fastest time of any other horse in the race, and retired to Lane’s End Farm on Sunday to replace his great sire who is pensioned, A.P. Indy.

The weanling colt’s half-sister by Tapit set a record last year when she sold for $3million.

Noble Tune’s book is full this season. Touted as one of the best stallion prospects to come to South Africa, he has received mares countrywide this season.

His fee was set at R25 000 for a service this season.