Believing winning the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh© Photo Healy Racing
Believing’s trainer George Boughey will not avoid a third head to head with Bradsell before the en of the season after his talented filly again finished best of the rest behind Archie Watson’s star at the Curragh on Sunday.
She has enjoyed a tremendous campaign for Boughey and owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, with victories in the Achilles Stakes at Haydock and the Sapphire Stakes in Ireland supplemented by several excellent efforts in defeat, including two fourth-place finishes at Royal Ascot.
George Boughey on Believing
The four-year-old was second to Bradsell in the Nunthorpe at York last month and occupied the same position in Sunday’s Flying Five Stakes, leaving her trainer bursting with pride.
“What a season she’s had,” said Boughey. “It will be 51 weeks ago that she was supplemented for the Haydock Sprint Cup and finished third as a 66-1 outsider. To have come that far in a short space of time really is a huge credit to her and Holly, who rides her every day.
“She’s a filly who takes a lot of micro-managing and to keep her that busy and that consistent, it’s not lost on me how well these guys look after these horses.
“I was really enthused walking out onto the track with her on Sunday, just with the way she looked and the way she was bouncing around and looked at the top of her game.
“It will be interesting to see how she comes out of Sunday’s race. I was really pleased to hear from Ryan Moore on Sunday night that he felt she was better than ever.”
Believing was drawn on the other side of the track to Bradsell at both York and at the Curragh and there is every chance she could take him on again in either or both of the Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar.
Boughey added: “She’ll have a bit of a break and we’ll work out what we’re going to do next. The Abbaye and the Breeders’ Cup are the two entries she has. She’s not going to get her ground on Champions Day at Ascot, so we didn’t even enter her.
“I’m sure she’ll be seen again this year, whether that’s once or twice, we’ll see.
“The draw is one of those things you can’t change and the luck’s been with Bradsell for the best part of this season.
“I think the last three five-furlong Group Ones of the year, the Flying Five, the Abbaye and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, are all on incredibly draw bias tracks. The hope is we might hit one right one day.”
