| Vaguely Noble | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Vienna (GB) |
| Grandsire | Aureole |
| Dam | Noble Lassie (GB) |
| Damsire | Nearco (ITY) |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1965 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Major Lionel B. Holliday[1] |
| Owner | 1. Mr L.B. Holliday, 2.Nelson Bunker Hunt, Dr & Mrs Franklyn[1] John R. Gaines (25%) share |
| Trainer | 1.Walter Wharton (1965–1967) 2.Paddy Prendergast 3.Etienne Pollet (1968) |
| Record | 9: 6–2–1 |
| Earnings | $366,647; (£18,443 in Great Britain)[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Observer Gold Cup (1967) Prix de Guiche (1968) Prix du Lys (1968) Prix de Chantilly (1968) Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1968) | |
| Awards | |
| Leading sire in GB & Ireland (1973 & 1974) Leading broodmare sire in GB & Ireland (1982) Timeform rating: 140 | |
| Last updated on 1 April 2022 | |
Vaguely Noble (1965–1989) was anIrish-bredThoroughbredracehorse who competed in theUnited Kingdom andFrance. The colt is best known as the winner of the 1968Group OnePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe when he defeated the best horses from England,France, Ireland andItaly. He was later aleading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and aLeading broodmare sire in GB & Ireland. Vaguely Noble is one of the highest-rated horses ever to run in Europe.
Major Lionel B. Holliday bred Vaguely Noble who was foaled in 1965. Vaguely Noble was by Vienna (GB) who won six races and £27,970 before he was exported toFrance and then toJapan.[2] His dam was theLancashire Oaks winner, Noble Lassie (GB) was byNearco (ITY) from Belle Sauvage by Big Game. Noble Lassie was the dam of several other horses, but Vaguely Noble was her only graded stakes winner. Vaguely Noble was inbred toHyperion in the third and fourth generation (3m x 4f) and also toBahram in the fourth generation (4m x 4f).[3]
Major Lionel B. Holliday died in 1965; as a two-year-old Vaguely Noble raced in the colours of the Major's son, Brook Holliday. Vaguely Noble was sold at the end of his two-year-old season and was subsequently owned by Americans Wilma Franklyn andNelson Bunker Hunt.[citation needed]
Racing at age two, Vaguely Noble finished second in his first two races then won his last two, including theObserver Gold Cup by seven lengths, pulling up, to end the 1967 season. In December of that year he was sold at auction by the Estate of Major Lionel B. Holliday, for 136,000 guineas ($342,720), a record price for a racehorse. He was purchased by Albert Yank, acting for Dr and Mrs Franklyn.[4]
In 1968 he was sent to race in France, where his conditioning was taken over byEtienne Pollet. Vaguely Noble won four of his five starts, including thePrix de Guiche (by 3 lengths),Prix du Lys (by 8 lengths),Prix de Chantilly and France's most prestigious race, thePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe atLongchamp, defeating the brilliant Derby winnerSir Ivor.[5]
In 1968, a 25% share in Vaguely Noble was acquired for $1.25 million by John R. Gaines ofLexington, Kentucky to make this a world-record stallion syndication valuation of $5 million.[4] Vaguely Noble was sent to stand atstud atGainesway Farm in Lexington.
Highly successful, he sired 70graded stakes race winners, and was the broodmare sire of more than 165 stakes winners. In 1973 and 1974 he was the Leading sire in GB & Ireland, mostly due to the victories of his great daughter, Dahlia. Vaguely Noble placed second in 1977 toBold Ruler with 263 starters earning the equivalent of US$5,293,153 in Europe andNorth America.[6] Vaguely Noble was also the leading broodmare sire in 1982.
His most important progeny included:
Vaguely Noble died in 1989 at the age of 24 and was buried in the equine cemetery at Gainesway Farm.
Vaguely Noble is regarded as one of the best European horses of the postWorld War II-era. He won six of his nine starts in England and France for the equivalent of US$366,647 in prize-money, earning a Timeform rating of 140.[6][10]
Vaguely Noble,Ribot andSea-Bird are sometimes considered the greatest winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.[11]
| Sire Vienna (GB) Bay 1957 | Aureole Chestnut 1950 | Hyperion | Gainsborough |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selene | |||
| Angelola | Donatello (FR) | ||
| Feola | |||
| Turkish Blood (IRE) Bay 1944 | Turkhan | Bahram | |
| Theresina | |||
| Rusk | Manna (IRE) | ||
| Baby Polly (IRE) | |||
| Dam Noble Lassie (GB) Bay 1956 | Nearco (ITY) Bay 1935 | Pharos (GB) | Phalaris |
| Scapa Flow | |||
| Nogara | Havresac (FR) | ||
| Catnip (IRE) | |||
| Belle Sauvage Chestnut 1949 | Big Game | Bahram | |
| Myrobella | |||
| Tropical Sun | Hyperion | ||
| Brulette (FR)(Family: 1-d)[3] |