Three-year-old filly Babindi (Frankel), raced by Sir Peter Vela in partnership with Hon James Broughton and Hon Peter Stanley, opened her winning account with an impressive performance at Bath on Friday.

Having recorded two seconds, a third and two fourths among her six previous appearances, Babindi was sent out as a warm favourite for the £8,000 Apted Group Handicap (2000m).

Ridden by Daniel Muscutt for trainer William Haggas, Babindi was always prominently placed and moved into second with 1000 metres to run. She cruised forward more than 400 metres from the finish and soon took control of the race, opening up a commanding margin of two and a quarter lengths.

With a win and three placings from seven career starts to date, Babindi has earned £9,160 in stakes – the equivalent of NZ$18,200.

Babindi was bred by Stanley’s New England Stud and Broughton’s Barton Stud.

She is by the legendary Frankel, a spectacular winner of all of his 14 starts including 10 at Group One level. He has gone on to be a top-class stallion, siring 318 winners from 477 runners with 75 individual stakes winners.

Frankel has sired 17 Group One winners, including Adayar and Hurricane Lane, who won this year’s English and Irish Derby respectively.

The dam of Babindi is the Cape Cross mare Bantu, who is a half-sister to the Group Two winner Arvada (Hernando) and Group Three winner Adagio (Grand Lodge). She comes from the same family as four-time Group One winner The Fugue (Dansili) and European champion sprinter Limato (Tagula).

Herself a placegetter on the track, Bantu is the dam of three winners from five foals to race. The first of those was Banzari (Motivator), who won the Group Three La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte (2000m) and placed in Canada’s Grade One E. P. Taylor Stakes (2000m).

Lee Bay (Cacique) was a five-race winner in Spain, and Babindi is the latest of Bantu’s progeny to become a winner.