Classy Mehmas filly Believing bounced back to winning ways on Sunday when taking the Listed Flying Fillies' Stakes at Pontefract in the colours of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
Held up by Daniel Tudhope, the George Boughey-trained filly came with a relentless run to collar Funny Story and win in cosy fashion.
It was a fourth win for Believing and third stakes success of the year following scores in the Group 3 Prix Texanita and Listed Chelmer Fillies' Stakes.
"Believing was dropping in grade here but was given a very good ride and is a talented filly," said George Boughey. "Craig Witheford and his team have done a super job with her because she was a bit of a nightmare in the stalls for a while. She's a Group 3 winner when things go right but she'd rear up and it's pretty hard to come back from that in a sprint. She's progressive and I think straight tracks are what she wants. It was nice to get her back on track and we'll step her back up in grade now. She has an entry in the Sprint at Ascot on Champions Day and that's her main target."
Believing was bred by M. Mullen and Cloneymore Farm out of Misfortunate, one of eight stakes-producing daughters of Kodiac. Kodiac is also the damsire of last year's Group 1 winner The Platinum Queen.
Believing (pictured below as a two-year-old) was sold through public auction twice - initially for 70,000gns to J C Bloodstock as a yearling and then for 115,000gns to Highclere as a Tattersalls Craven breezer - and as is typical of her sire, was quick to come to hand with a win second time out at Wolverhampton before placings in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes and Group 3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes, in which she was beaten only a neck.
