Noble (horse) facts for kids

Noble (born in 1783) was a famous British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was also a sire, meaning he became a father to other horses. Noble raced from May 1786 to May 1788. During this time, he won two races. His most famous win was the Epsom Derby in 1786. He was a big surprise winner, as most people didn't expect him to win. After his racing days, Noble became a stallion at a stud farm, but his children didn't become famous racehorses.

About Noble

Noble was a bay horse, which means he had a reddish-brown body and a black mane and tail. He stood about 15.1 hands tall. A "hand" is a way to measure a horse's height, with one hand being four inches.

Noble was bred by his owner, Thomas Panton. Noble's father was a very successful racehorse named Highflyer. Highflyer was also an amazing father to many racehorses. He was named the "Champion sire" 13 times! Noble's mother was a mare named Brim. She was also very important for breeding racehorses.

We don't have many records about all of Noble's races. He probably raced more times than the few races we know about.

Noble's Racing Days

1786: A Three-Year-Old Champion

It seems that Noble's very first race was the famous Epsom Derby. This big race happened on May 31, 1786. Noble was a 30/1 outsider, which means he was not expected to win at all. There were fifteen horses in the race. The favorite horse was a filly named Scota.

Noble, ridden by his jockey J. White, surprised everyone and won the Derby! He beat a horse named Meteor, who finished second. After losing to Noble, Meteor went on to win his next 21 races in a row, which was a British record!

After his big Derby win, Noble didn't race for almost five months. He returned to the racecourse at Newmarket in the autumn. He won another race there called a 200 guinea Sweepstakes. A "guinea" was an old British coin worth 21 shillings. This race was about ten furlongs long. A furlong is an old measurement, about 200 meters.

1788: Five-Year-Old Race

On May 7, 1788, Noble raced again at Epsom. This race was run in "heats," which means it had several parts, each four miles long. Noble was the favorite to win this race. However, a six-year-old mare named Cowslip won the race. She had won another big race, the St Leger, in 1785.

Noble's Life as a Sire

After his racing career, Noble became a stallion at a stud farm. This means he was used to breed other horses.

In 1790, Noble was at Hampton Lodge in Surrey. The fee to breed with him was 2 guineas. By 1793, he had moved to Mitchen Hall. People said he was "a sure foal-getter," meaning he was good at producing foals. They also said his foals were "handsome, large and bony."

By 1796, Noble was at Yateley in Hampshire, and his breeding fee had gone up to 3 guineas. After 1796, he was no longer listed as a stallion.

Noble only has one foal officially recorded in a book called the General Stud Book. This foal was a colt named Sheet Anchor, born in 1795. This might mean that Noble mostly bred with horses that were not Thoroughbreds. There were mentions of two other foals, Young Noble and Mary Grey, but it was noted that "very few of his get were ever trained." This means not many of his children became racehorses.

Noble's Family Tree

* Noble is inbred 3S x 3D to the stallion Blank. This means that Blank appears in the third generation of both Noble's father's side and his mother's side of the family tree.

* Noble is inbred 4S x 4D to the stallion Partner. This means that Partner appears in the fourth generation of both Noble's father's side and his mother's side of the family tree.