GEORGETOWN, KY – Oct. 31, 2024 – Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., is extremely pleased to announce the arrival of multiple-stakes winner Noble Drama.
The 9-year old dark bay gelding arrived at the farm on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, courtesy of his owner and trainer, David Fawkes.
Noble Drama earned his way to Old Friends when he won the 2018 FTBOA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes (Black Type) at Tampa Bay Downs, which had been designated as a “retirement for life” at Old Friends race.
“From the day we presented Noble Drama with his Old Friends for Life certificate in 2018, we’ve cheered his racing successes, and hoped this day would come,” said John Nicholson, President and CEO of Old Friends. “Six years later, we are pleased to announce that he has arrived, joining three other Old Friends For Life race winners, Next Shares, Kalamos, and Get Western, at his new forever home. Our thanks to David Fawkes for taking good care of him. Welcome to your retirement, Noble Drama!”
“He was a great horse to have in the barn,” said Fawkes, who trained Noble Drama his entire career for breeder and original owner, Harold Queen. “He never had a soundness issue. He was very readable. You knew when he was doing good and when he wasn’t. He was just so easy to have in the barn. Anybody could ride him. He was a very, very kind horse.”
About Noble Drama getting to come to Old Friends, Fawkes said, “I’ll be honest with you, I had forgotten he had won that. Then, Sherry Queen, one of Harold’s daughters, called and reminded me that he won ‘retirement for life’ at Old Friends. So I called them (Old Friends) and they were thrilled to have him. I told a lot of people. I think it’s great that he’s going there and he deserves to go there.”
Bred and owned for a good portion of his career by Queen, Noble Drama, who is by Gone Astray–Queen Drama, by Burning Roma, was foaled in Florida on May 5, 2015.
During his 48 career races, Gulfstream Park became Noble Drama’s favorite track. He ran there 39 times, and he won all of his races there but one. That one win came at Tampa Bay Downs, where he ran five times. He also ran at Gulfstream Park West twice, and Charles Town and Churchill Downs once each.
Noble Drama began his racing career in 2018 as a 3-year old, and in his first start, he finished fifth in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 20, 2018. Two races later, he won for the first time in another maiden special weight race on March 9.
Then, two races after that, he won the FTBOA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes (Black Type) at Tampa Bay Downs for his first stakes win, which also earned him his “retirement for life” at Old Friends.
“Special thanks goes to Stella Thayer of Tampa Bay Downs for naming a race for Silver Charm that directly led to Noble Drama’s retirement at Old Friends,” said Michael Blowen, Founder of Old Friends.
Later that season, Noble Drama also scored his second stakes victory, which came in the FTBOA Florida Sire Wildcat Heir Stakes (Black Type).
In 2020 as a 5-year old, Noble Drama won three more stakes races: the Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes (Black Type), the Benny The Bull Stakes (Black Type), and the FTBOA Florida Sire Wildcat Heir Stakes (Black Type). Those would be the last stakes wins of his career.
In 2022 as a 7-year old, Fawkes also became Noble Drama’s owner when Queen gave the horse to him, which happened in an interesting way. Fawkes explains:
“I wanted to get Noble Drama going again (for the upcoming season). … I brought my trailer (to pick him up one day) and as I’m loading him and his brother into the trailer, Harold says, ‘You can have Noble Drama.’ I said, ‘Harold, what do you mean.’” The two men talked about it a little, and then Harold said again, “He’s yours.” I said, “Okay, thank you.” And, that’s how Fawkes became owner of Noble Drama, a horse he truly loves.
Under his ownership, Noble Drama won only one more race, an allowance optional claiming race on Nov. 12, 2022 at Gulfstream Park. However, under Fawkes’ care, between 2022 and 2024, Noble Drama finished in the money eight times in 18 starts.
“He was always there. Always, right there,” said Fawkes, who explained that Noble Drama was one of those horses that liked to come from behind in his races — a modern day Silky Sullivan he calls him. “The problem with him (was) he had to have pace. … Sometimes, he’d be like 20 lengths off the last horse. There would be the field, then a big gap, and then him. (But), then he’d get moving and I’d be like, ‘Okay, let’s go! Okay, let’s go!’ And then all of a sudden, here he comes.”
In 2024, as a 9-year old, Noble Drama raced four times, all at Gulfstream Park, and finished second in three races, one claiming race and two allowance optional claiming races. Then, on May 16, he finished fifth in a claiming race and was retired.
Noble Drama closed the books on his career with a record of 10 wins, 11 seconds, six thirds, and $876,562 in earnings in 48 starts.
Then, after Fawkes was reminded that Noble Drama had earned retirement for life at Old Friends, he called Old Friends, they worked out all the details, and the horse arrived at the farm on Wednesday, Oct. 30 to enjoy his retirement.
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(Photo by Mary Greene)
