Vaguely Noble
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vaguely Noble | ||
 Vaguely Noble on the cover of Blood-Horse magazine |
||
| Sire: | Vienna | |
| Grandsire: | Aureole | |
| Dam: | Noble Lassie | |
| Damsire: | Nearco | |
| Sex: | Stallion | |
| Foaled: | 1965 | |
| Country: | USA | |
| Colour: | Bay | |
| Breeder: | Major Lionel B. Holliday | |
| Owner: | Brook Holiday, Nelson Bunker Hunt, Wilma Franklyn | |
| Trainer: | Walter Wharton (1965-1967) Etienne Pollet (1968) |
|
| Record: | 9: 6-2-1 | |
| Earnings: | $319,571 | |
| Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards | ||
| Major Racing Wins | ||
| Observer Gold Cup (1967) Prix de Guiche (1968) Prix du Lys (1968) Prix de Chantilly (1968) Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1968) |
||
| Racing Awards | ||
| Timeform rating: 140 Leading sire in GB & Ireland (1973 & 1974) Leading broodmare sire in GB & Ireland (1982) |
||
|
Infobox last updated on: November 26, 2006. |
||
Vaguely Noble (1965-1989) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and France. The colt is best known as the winner of the 1968 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and as the sire of 1976 Epsom Derby winner Empery and the United States Hall of Fame horses Exceller and Dahlia.
Breeder Lionel B. Holliday kept part ownership of Vaguely Noble in Brook Holliday's name as part of a partnership with Americans Wilma Franklyn and Nelson Bunker Hunt. Racing at age two, the colt finished second in his first two races then won two in a row before ending the 1967 season. In 1968 he was sent to race in France where his conditioning was taken over by Etienne Pollet. Vaguely Noble won four of his five races entered including France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
Retired, Vaguely Noble was sent to stand at stud at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Highly successful, he sired 70 graded stakes race winners and was the broodmare sire of more than 165 stakes winners.
Vague Noble died in 1989 at the age of 24 and was buried in the equine cemetery at Gainesway Farm.
