Rainbow Quest (1981–2007) was an American-bred, British-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

and Champion broodmare sire.

Background

Rainbow Quest was a bay horse with two white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

and a small white

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bred in

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by British businessman, Alan Clore. He was sired by

Blushing Groom Blushing Groom (8 April 1974 – 6 May 1992) was a French champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background He was bred by American businessman John McNamee Sullivan and was raced by Aga Khan IV, HH Aga Khan IV. A ...

out of the mare I Will Follow. As a yearling, he was purchased by

Prince Khalid Abdullah A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12 January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview J ...

for $950,000 at the 1982 Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

Racing career

1983: two-year-old season

Sent into training with Jeremy Tree, Rainbow Quest began his racing career at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

in August 1983 when he defeated twenty-nine opponents in the El Capistrano Stakes. In the following month, he beat nineteen rivals in the

Haynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes The Haynes, Hanson and Clark Novice Stakes is a flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it ...

over one mile at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's List of ...

. In October, Rainbow Quest was matched against

El Gran Senor El Gran Senor (21 April 1981 – 18 October 2006) was an United States, American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, race horse. Foaled at Windfields Farm (Maryland), he was the best horse of his generation in Europe at both two and t ...

, Siberian Express (winner of the

Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is schedule ...

), and

Superlative The degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs are the various forms taken by adjectives and adverbs when used to compare two entities (comparative degree), three or more entities (superlative degree), or when not comparing entities (positi ...

(

July Stakes The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and ...

) in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

took a lead in the closing stages, but Rainbow Quest cut his advantage back to half a length at the line. In the 1983 International Classification, Rainbow Quest was rated the second best two-year-old in Europe, one

pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

behind

1984: three-year-old season

On his three-year-old debut Rainbow Quest was beaten a short-head by

Lear Fan Lear Fan (2 February 1981 – 7 July 2008) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. One of an exceptionally strong generation of European racehorses he was one of the leading two-year-olds when he was unbeaten i ...

in the

Craven Stakes The Craven Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 met ...

and then finished fourth behind

Chief Singer Chief Singer (19 March 1981 – 2000) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1983 until September 1984 he ran nine times and won four races. ...

, and Lear Fan in the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...

. He was then diverted from The Derby to the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...

, in which he finished third behind

Darshaan Darshaan (18 April 1981 – 21 May 2001) was a British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and a Champion sire and broodmare sire. Background Darshaan was a brown horse bred by his owner the Aga Khan IV. He was sired by th ...

and

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

. He was then sent to Ireland, where he finished second in the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a dista ...

, beaten a length by

. In August, Rainbow Quest returned to England and recorded a victory in the

Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and ...

. On his final appearance of the season, he contested the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

at Longcamp in October. He was made favourite for the race by British bookmakers but finished eighteenth of the twenty-two runners behind

Sagace Sagace (1980–1989) was a French Thoroughbred champion horse racing, racehorse. His sire Luthier (horse), Luthier had been the Leading sire in France in 1976. Trained by Patrick Biancone and ridden by Yves St. Martin for prominent owner/bree ...

1985: four-year-old season

Rainbow Quest began his third season with an easy win in the

Clive Graham Stakes The Festival Stakes is a Conditions races, Listed Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Goodwood Racecourse, Goodwood over ...

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in l ...

in May. He then ran in the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...

and recorded a win from Old Country. In July, Rainbow Quest finished second to Pebbles in the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...

and third behind Petoski and

Oh So Sharp Oh So Sharp (1982–2001) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the English Fillies' Triple Crown in 1985. In a racing career which lasted from August 1984 until September 1985, she won seven of h ...

in the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

. On his final appearance, he ran for the second time in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He finished a neck behind Sagace but was awarded the race when the French horse was disqualified for causing interference.

Stud record

Rainbow Quest entered stud at his owner's farm in Berkshire, England in 1986. He was moved to the same operation's Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket in 1986. The horse proved to be an excellent sire. As a result of irreparable complications following surgery for

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content ou ...

, Rainbow Quest was

euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

on 7 July 2007 at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud near the village of

Cheveley The village of Cheveley is situated in the county of Cambridgeshire and lies about four miles east-south-east of the market town of Newmarket. The population of the civil parish was 1,990 at the 2011 Census. Cheveley falls within the local ...

East Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire (locally known as East Cambs) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in the cathedral city of Ely. The district also contains the towns of Littleport and Soham and surrounding rural a ...

.Burnet, Rob
"Rainbow Quest dies after colic complications"
''thoroughbrednews.com.au'', 11 Jul 2007.

Major winners

''c = colt, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

, g =

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

Broodmare sire

Rainbow Quest was the

Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland The list below shows the leading sire of broodmares in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1899. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year in Great Britain and Ireland by racehorses that were foaled by a daught ...

in 2003 and 2004. Among his daughters' top runners were: ''c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding''

Pedigree

References

Rainbow Quest's pedigree and partial racing stats

Rainbow Quest in ''Designing Speed in the Racehorse'' (p. 176, 177) by Ken McLean at Google Books
{{Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Winners 1981 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Arc winners British Champion Thoroughbred broodmare sires Chefs-de-Race Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 14-f