Major Lionel B. Holliday bred Vaguely Noble who was foaled in 1965. Vaguely Noble was by Vienna who won six races and £27,970 before he was exported to France and then to Japan. His dam was the Lancashire Oaks winner, Noble Lassie was by Nearco 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 to Hyperion in the third and fourth generation and also to Bahram in the fourth generation. 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 and Nelson Bunker Hunt.
Racing record
Racing at age two, Vaguely Noble finished second in his first two races then won his last two, including the Observer Gold Cup by seven lengths, pulling up, to end the 1967 season. In December 1967 he was sold at auction by the Estate of Major Lionel B. Holliday, for 136,000 guineas, a record price for a racehorse. He was purchased by Albert Yank, acting as an agent for Dr and Mrs Franklyn. 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 starts including the Prix de Guiche, Prix du Lys, Prix de Chantilly and France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp defeating the brilliant Derby Stakes winner, Sir Ivor. Vaguely Noble, Ribot, and Sea-Bird were generally considered to be the three greatest winners of the world's premier race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Vaguely Noble was regarded as one of the best European gallopers of the post World War II-era after winning six of his nine starts in England and France for the equivalent of US$366,647 in prize-money, and earned a Timeform rating of 140. In 1968 a 25% share in Vaguely Noble was acquired for $1.25 million by John R. Gaines of Lexington, Kentucky to make this a world record stallion syndication valuation of $5 million. Vaguely Noble was sent to stand at stud at Gainesway Farm in Lexington.
Stud record
Highly successful, he sired 70 graded 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 to Bold Ruler with 263 starters earning the equivalent of US$5,293,153 in Europe and North America. Vaguely Noble was also the leading broodmare sire in 1982. His most important progeny included:
