It's all about the individual

He was a man on a mission — and on a budget. As Rory Callis watched horses circle Keeneland's walking ring during the 2007 November Sale, he contemplated the $20,000 he had to spend. The odds of that amount stretching to cover the colt he wanted to buy were slim.

Pros? It was book seven of the sale, and the more elite and expensive horses had passed through the ring days before. Cons? The one he had in mind possessed qualities that would attract other horsemen — keen eye, good legs, great hip — and for $20,000, it'd be a steal.

Two years and $793,500 in earnings later, Kentucky Derby contender Noble's Promise has proven to be just that. Remarkably, the son of Cuvee was one of the first horses through the ring that day, and Callis snatched him up for just $10,000.

"I was actually having a tough time finding a horse in my price range," the agent recalled. "I ended up struggling through the first six books and purchased him late in the sale. The ideal thing about him was that he sold relatively early that morning; he was one of the first horses through the ring. His dam went through the sale — I think it was the hip after — and sold for (around $4,500) in foal to a Kentucky sire, which I thought was ridiculous. But he was a very nice individual, just a little bit on the small side."

Sent out to seven starts since then by trainer Kenny McPeek, Noble's Promise has racked up three wins (including a score in the Grade I Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland), three seconds, and one third (in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile). Last Saturday he lost by a head to Eclipse Award winner Lookin at Lucky in Oaklawn Park's Rebel Stakes (Gr. II), his first race on dirt.

"He's trained over dirt and I had no doubt he would run fine on it," said McPeek. "Good horses will run on anything."

A good horse — consistent, hard-knocking — is exactly what Noble's Promise has become. But first fate had to play a little hand in aligning the circumstances.

Usually a "short-lister" who previews horses for McPeek to purchase at auction, Callis was sent to the November sale by Chasing Dreams Racing when McPeek was unable to attend. The Kentucky-based partnership includes many owners who found success with McPeek's purchase of Dream Empress, a $60,000 filly who went on to grade I victory in the Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland and was second in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Callis short-listed the filly for McPeek at Keeneland's September yearling sale one month before buying Noble's Promise .

"Our original intent was to purchase him as a weanling and resell him as a yearling," Callis said. "I knew he would be the kind of horse that would be very appealing at a 2-year-old in training sale or even at a yearling sale."

But taking the colt back to Keeneland as a yearling would have been counterproductive; as a book seven weanling he would have probably ended up listed late in the sale, less likely to bring a solid price. So Callis sent Noble's Promise to the OBS August yearling sale, where he was listed in the select book with the better horses. That was before Tropical Storm Fay came along.

Yes, it took a hurricane to keep the colt in the colors of Chasing Dreams Racing. As the storm ranged up from Cuba, many of the leading buyers who could have picked him as a promising prospect were grounded, their flights delayed or canceled.

"We called it the Hurricane Sale," Callis said. "With the storm due to come in the first day, a lot of the top trainers who usually came in to buy horses didn't want to risk getting stuck there. So there really weren't a lot of people there except the locals. When Noble's Promise failed to meet his reserve at $25,000 it was probably the best thing that could have happened for all of us. It's kind of just one of those deals where all the stars aligned."

After running second in his first race at Keeneland following a rough start, Noble's Promise broke his maiden on the turf at Ellis in September. He then shipped up to Presque Isle Downs, where he took the Fitz Dixon, Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes. Off that win he closed with a four-wide move to get his Breeders' Futurity score back at Keeneland, and then he ran third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. His final race of 2009, the CashCall Futurity, saw him miss by three-quarters of a length to Lookin at Lucky. His seasonal debut in the Rebel yielded the same result with a narrower margin after the Bob Baffert trainee encountered traffic trouble and closed late down the center of the track.

"This horse has done so well; he does everything you ask of him except for beating Lookin at Lucky," McPeek said. "They've met on three different racetracks and three different surfaces and it's less than a length that separates them every time. So it's a little frustrating but he came out of this last race well and we're very positive about moving him forward."

Noble's Promise will remain at Oaklawn Park training up to his next start, likely the Arkansas Derby on April 10. McPeek said he is cross-nominated to the Wood Memorial, Illinois Derby, and Blue Grass Stakes. Of course, the start after that would come at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

"It looks like we're heading in that direction and we're very excited about his future prospects," said Callis. "I've been involved with several good horses but Noble was a little different since I bought him on my own. I'm very excited but I owe a lot of what I do professionally to Kenny McPeek. He's the one that gave me the opportunities to get better with time and experience, even my involvement with this horse. Fingers crossed, we keep moving forward."

A $10,000 weanling all grown up, headed to the Kentucky Derby? The race's history is full of stories — and winners — like that.

"It gives the people that aren't able to buy those million dollar horses hope," Callis said. "It is possible to come up with a very good horse that can compete. It's not about the purchase price, it's about the individual."

Claire Novak has melded her love for human-interest journalism and the equine breed into a successful turf writing career. Winner of the 2008 Louisville Metro Journalism Award for Sports Writing, she maintains connections with organizations such as The Associated Press, Blood-Horse Publications and the NTRA. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter, @ClaireNovak.

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