Noblesse (horse) - Racing Career - 1963: Three-year-old Season

1963: Three-year-old Season

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 York in May for the Musidora Stakes, a recognised trial for the Oaks at Epsom. She quickened away from her rivals inside the final two furlongs to win eased down by six lengths. This resulted in her starting as the 11/4-on favourite for the Oaks a few weeks later.

In the Oaks of 1963, Noblesse was asked to quicken by her jockey Garnet Bougoure approaching the final furlong and responded to win by 10 lengths. The performance was described in Tony Morris and John Randall's publication 'A Century Of Champions' as "the crushing Oaks victory which made her Ireland's greatest filly." Noblesse was then expected to take on Derby winner Relko in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot the following month. However, she injured a hock and was withdrawn, leaving the way clear for her stable companion Ragusa to win the race.

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 Triomphe 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 beaten into third place and returned lame to the unsaddling enclosure. Since very little time remained to get her back fit and ready to run in the 'Arc', she was retired. Noblesse was named Champion three-year-old filly for 1963. Timeform 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."

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