WINNING on her debut over a mile on the all-weather at Kempton, Rainbow Sky turned what looked for a while like a disappointing effort into a winning one, and she is a two-year-old filly open to any amount of improvement.

The importance of this win lies in the fact that the daughter of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) cost Godolphin 1,500,000gns last year in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the best price for a yearling filly, getting the better of the Coolmore team in the prolonged bidding duel. Breeder Robert Barnett and his wife Ann were present to see the filly sell from the Newsells Park Stud draft.

Buyer Anthony Stroud said in the immediate aftermath: “Needless to say she’s from a very good farm, and she’s just very athletic. Godolphin has had a lot of success buying fillies from this sale and she looks like one who could run well over a mile and a half, and is the type we are looking for. Coolmore was the underbidder, and I believe Juddmonte was in, and they are both fantastic judges, which shows how valuable these fillies are.”

Rainbow Quest a full-sister to the stakes winner and Group 1-placed Star Terms, and they are two of the five winners from the champion two-year-old filly Best Terms, winner of the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes and Lowther Stakes and a daughter of Exceed And Excel (Danehill). The family stretches back to the Barnett’s homebred champion and four-time Group 1-winning mare Time Charter (Saritamer).