Every now and then there is a day that lives long in the memory and for James Doyle, he will never forget playing a small part in the emotional Qipco Champion Stakes victory of Noble Mission in 2014.
As a full-brother to the one and only Frankel, the burden of expectation somewhat dictated Noble Mission should be a champion, and like his illustrious sibling, the early days of his career were overseen by Sir Henry Cecil.
After the death of Cecil in the summer of 2013, it was his widow Lady Jane who took over the responsibility of guiding Noble Mission’s on-track progress, as she stoically kept the wheel turning at the historic Warren Place.
Frankel’s rise to superstardom had coincided with the formation of British Champions Day at Ascot and his presence on the day – destroying the opposition over a mile in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and then bowing out in style in the Champion Stakes itself a year later – helped rubberstamp the event’s status at Britain’s most regal racecourse.
It was therefore fitting that Noble Mission would follow in the footsteps of his big brother and triumph at the racecourse Cecil was synonymous with, less than 18 months following his death.
As expected, that afternoon on October 18 proved both a joyous and emotional occasion, as Noble Mission’s victory served as a reminder not only of Cecil’s legacy and standing in the sport, but also a poignant prompt that racing had cruelly lost one of its greatest protagonists not so long ago.
The man adorned in the famous Juddmonte silks for the race was Doyle, soaking in every moment of a day he will always remember fondly – and one that came at the end of a successful season as Prince Khalid Abdullah’s retained rider.
He said: “What a great day and blimey, 10 years ago. It was a very emotional day and of course he was trained by Lady Cecil a couple of years after his brother Frankel won, I’ve got very fond memories of that day.
“It was quite emotional coming back in and we all know Sir Henry had not long passed. There was also the connection with Noble Mission being Frankel’s full-brother and going and winning the same race a couple of years later, so it was quite emotional and there were lots of tears on the day.
“I took it all in and it came after a very good year with Juddmonte; we had Kingman of course that year and it was great to have two good horses like that in the same year.”
Noble Mission’s Champion Stakes success was to be the final outing of a career that heralded nine victories in 21 starts.
However, it was following a change of tactics suggested by his wise and experienced owner that he began to flourish during his five-year-old campaign, winning five times, with Ascot his third Group One triumph of the year.
“He was a horse who was quite keen, he wasn’t the easiest customer and it was Prince Khalid’s idea to start making the running on him,” continued Doyle.
“We wanted to do it in the John Porter on his first run of the year and he completely missed the break. The guys did plenty of gate work with him and ever since then when he jumped out, we just let him do his thing – and it definitely suited him.”
Noble Mission’s Champion Stakes success was made even more poignant for Doyle as his mount prevailed in a battle up the home straight with Al Kazeem, a horse who helped the now 36-year-old make his name when in the position of stable jockey to Roger Charlton.
Doyle added: “There were mixed emotions when I saw my old friend Al Kazeem come upsides and he was ridden by my good friend George Baker.
“He was very brave my horse and he loved war of attrition-type conditions – they were ideal for him.”
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