At first, it seemed that Noble Mission’s sole claim to fame was being the great champion Frankel’s full brother. Having run only on grass in Europe, the Group One winning millionaire seemed an odd choice for Lane’s End in Versailles, Kentucky, to import to add to its stallion roster in 2015. However, it would seem that doubting the stallion acumen of the masters of Lane’s End, William Farish, the elder, and former Ambassador to England, and William Farish, the younger, who has run the farm for the past decade, is utter foolishness.

The Travers S.-G1, on dirt, the premier three-year-old event at Saratoga, proved the Farish’s commitment to Noble Mission, as his son, Code of Honor, bred and owned by the elder Mr. Farish, won the race with brilliance, beating tiring favorite Tacitus and becoming the first Grade One winner in his sire’s freshman crop. Noble Mission began his career at stud with a $25,000 stud fee, which was lowered this year to $15,000. I’m guessing it will once again rise.

Code of Honor, who now adds the Travers to his list of accomplishments which includes being promoted to second in the Kentucky Derby-G1, has now earned $1,885, 820 in his career of eight starts, four wins, two seconds, and a third. His dam is the graded stakes winning Dixie Union mare, Reunited, making Code of Honor triple-bred to Northern Dancer through Sadler’s Wells, Danzig and Dixieland Band. The most interesting aspect of his pedigree, however, is something noted in my last column: inbreeding to the great Blushing Groom. Noble Mission’s and Frankel’s dam is Kind, by Danehill, but out of a Rainbow Quest mare, the first appearance of Blushing Groom, on the stallion’s side. Reunited’s dam, Tivli, is by Mount Livermore, the second appearance of Blushing Groom, also through one of his daughters, on Code of Honor’s dams’ side. Code of Honor is therefore 5 x 4 Blushing Groom. This important grass influence in Code of Honor’s pedigree is balanced by American dirt influence, with his sire being double-bred Buckpasser, and Capote, a son of Seattle Slew, on the dams’ side.

The lesson here: never underestimate the Lane’s End brain trust, nor the continuing influence of Blushing Groom on 21^st century American racing. Noble Mission now stands at number two on the second crop sires list, behind only golden boy Goldencents.

-- Roberta Smoodin