It was a perfect debut for the regally-bred Darain in the Oakley Coachbuilders Super Sport Novice Stakes (Div II) at Newbury on Wednesday evening.
The colt, owned by Qatar Racing Limited in partnership with the breeders Watership Down Stud, has one of the best pedigrees imaginable — by world-class sire Dubawi out of the extraordinary mare Dar Re Mi.
Starting joint-favourite, the John Gosden-trained three-year-old won the race by four lengths and three quarters.
Running over 2,000m, on a ground that was declared good to soft, the bay colt was smartly away on the outside under jockey Oisin Murphy. The duo sat up on the lead to the outside of Winter Reprise and maintained an easy pace until the long home straight. Murphy sat quietly until inside the final 600m, just keeping pace with his rivals.
Once he asked Darain to go on, the colt lengthened impressively to pull clear with apparent ease. Brillant Life finished second with Winter Reprise a further half-a-length behind in third. 
“I’m really pleased with Darain tonight. We didn’t go very fast early as they are inexperienced horses and so we didn’t really start racing until in the straight. Darain went through the gears well and really galloped through the line. I’m really pleased with him. I think he has an exciting future,” Murphy commented after the race.
Darain was purchased Qatar Racing manager David Redvers at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale – Book 1 in 2018.
His dam, Dar Re Mi, was herself a champion race mare for Watership Down Stud, winning three Group 1 races (the Pretty Polly Stakes, the Yorkshire Oaks, the Sheema Classic). She has already produced four top-class horses from six foals including the extraordinary Too Darn Hot, Lah Ti Dar and So Mi Dar; all are also by Dubawi. Darain has set off on the right path to follow the footsteps of his elder siblings and he looks to have an extremely exciting future.