Noor (1945 – 16 November 1974) was an
Irish-bred Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...
who competed successfully in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Background
Given the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
name meaning "Light", Noor was
sired by five-time
U.S. leading sire Nasrullah. His damsire,
Bahram, won the
English Triple Crown
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplis ...
in
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
.
Racing career
Noor raced at ages two to four in England, meeting with modest success, including a third-place finish in
Britain's most prestigious race,
The Derby. During the 1949 racing season, he won only one minor race, and his owner sold him to the American
Charles S. Howard
Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner.
Biography
Howard was dubbed one of the most s ...
, famous as the owner of the 1938
U.S. Horse of the Year,
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...
. Howard's trainer,
Burley E. Parke
Burley Elijah Parke (March 21, 1905 – October 4, 1977) was an American jockey and a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Horse trainer, trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.
Early life
Parke was born in Albion, ...
, brought Noor to Howard's
Ridgewood Ranch
Ridgewood Ranch is a large ranch situated south of Willits, California, in rural Mendocino County. It is probably best known for being the final resting place of the racehorse Seabiscuit.
History
Situated in a low mountain valley below Ridgewo ...
in
Willits, California
Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville) is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located about north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of . The population was 4,988 at the 2020 census. Willits is at the center ...
, where patience and training transformed the temperamental thoroughbred's style of racing to American standards. Noor made the transition from running on resilient English
turf
Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls.
In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...
courses to the hard dirt surfaces in the U.S and by
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
, he was the dominant older horse in America, setting three world records and three track records while scoring victories over
U.S. Triple Crown champion
Citation
A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...
in four out of their five encounters.
Famous for his come-from-behind stretch drives, in 1950 Noor finished the season with a record of 7-4-1 from his 12 starts. In his three years racing in England, he had earned less than $40,000 in total but in the U.S. in 1950 alone he earned $346,940. Noor twice defeated
Assault
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
, making him the first horse to ever defeat two U.S. Triple Crown champions. In capturing the
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...
, he also beat 1950 U.S. Horse of the Year
Hill Prince
Hill Prince (1947–1970) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the leading American two-year-olds of 1949, alongside Oil Capitol and Middleground. In 1950, he ran fifteen times, winning races including the Preakness Stakes, W ...
as well as 1949
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
winner Ponder. Noor's performance in 1950 earned him
U.S. Champion Handicap Male Horse honors.
Retirement and stud record
At the end of the 1950 racing season, the five-year-old horse was retired to stand at
stud
Stud may refer to the following terms:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...
at Ridgewood Ranch but after the property was sold by the estate of Charles Howard, Noor was moved to son
Lindsay Howard's Binglin Stable
Binglin Stable in Moorpark, Ventura County, California, was a stock farm established during the latter part of the 1930s to race and breed Thoroughbred horses. The stable was owned by entertainer Bing Crosby and close friend, Lindsay Howard. Cr ...
in
Moorpark, California
Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990. As of 2006, Moorpark was one of the fastest-growing cities in Ventura County.. ...
.
Noor was moved again at the age of 19 to Frank Knoop's Loma Rica Ranch in
Grass Valley, California
Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. Situated at roughly in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this northern Gold Country city is by car from Sacramento, from Sacramento I ...
. Noor died on 16 November 1974 at the age of 29. In 2002, Noor was inducted into the United States'
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...
.
A mixed-use business park and residential development was planned for the former Loma Rica Ranch. In March 2010, Noor's grave was located and an effort was mounted to ensure that his remains were not disturbed. In August 2011, Noor's remains were exhumed for reburial in Kentucky. Noor's remains were reinterred on 31 August 2011 at
Old Friends Equine
Old Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) equine retirement facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). The organization started with one leased paddock and two horses, but now owns 136 acres, Dreamchase ...
in Georgetown, KY. Charlotte Farmer, the woman who led the effort to bring Noor's remains from California to Kentucky, attended.
Champion Race Horse Noor given
Kentucky. 31 August 2011
References
External links
Noor's pedigree and racing stats
United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Famous Racehorse Grave ID'd
{{Authority control
1945 racehorse births
1974 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United States
Horse racing track record setters
United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Thoroughbred family 16-h
Old Friends Equine Retirement