Believing is poised for a swift return to the track at Goodwood next week after achieving her Group Two breakthrough at the Curragh on Saturday.
After placing fourth in both Group One sprints at Royal Ascot last month, George Boughey’s talented sprinter delivered the finest performance of her career during Irish Oaks weekend, decisively claiming victory in the Sapphire Stakes under Ryan Moore.
“It didn’t surprise me that she won as she did, she’d been training well at home and it was great to put that Group Two on her pedigree because I think she sort of deserved it,” Boughey remarked.
“It was a pretty uncomplicated ride, and I was delighted to tick the box. She’s a pleasure to train, but it’s taken a while to get there. She’s a credit to my staff, who have worked incredibly hard. She’s never been straightforward, and she’s now an absolute bus really – we can put her on a box or a plane or a boat, wherever she wants to go.”
While a return to the Curragh for the Flying Five Stakes on September 15 is a key goal, Believing is also set for another race beforehand, with the King George Qatar Stakes next Friday being a strong possibility.
Boughey elaborated, “The plan for some time had been to go to Ireland to trial her before the Flying Five, and she may well go to Goodwood in between. I saw her this morning and she was fresh and well, and sound and off to Goodwood we go, I think. Keeping her to five furlongs and it’s a lot of money at Goodwood. I know she’d have to carry a penalty, but so would the Australian horse (Asfoora) and I wouldn’t swap her at Goodwood anyway. I think she has the speed for it. Ryan thought that she would and if Ryan’s happy I’m pretty happy. The draw is obviously very key there and we’ll be slightly in the lap of the gods on that front, but she showed loads of pace when she won the Achilles Stakes at Haydock earlier in the year and again at Ascot and again on Saturday, so we’d certainly be willing to give her a chance.”
Looking ahead, Believing could also make her way to California in November.
Boughey noted, “The Breeders’ Cup Sprint is probably the end-of-season target. I think Glass Slippers won the Flying Five and ended up winning at the Breeders’ Cup, so it’s a race that feeds in quite well.”