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00:00Well, one of the highlights of the scepter sessions at this year's Tattersall's December
00:04mare sale is undoubtedly going to be the Highclere-owned Believing, who has been so tough and consistent
00:10at the very highest level all season. We've come here to her trainer George Bowie's yard
00:15in Newmarket to reflect on what has been a remarkable year for the filly. Just looking
00:20at her out here this morning, she looks really well. You've been pleased with her since she
00:24got back to you?
00:25Yeah, look, an absolute star really, Gina. She's a bit of a bridesmaid this year, but
00:32what a bridesmaid to have. She's come back to us from America and she had a little break
00:37and she's back in work and I couldn't be much happier with her really.
00:40Yeah, we should start by reflecting on the trip to Del Mar. It didn't quite go to plan.
00:45What was the sort of assessment after that? How was she? Did she take the travel okay?
00:52Yeah, it was one of those things that you just couldn't foresee happening really. We'd
00:57done loads of gate work with her to try and get her to jump that bit faster and she stood
01:02in there and then just had a bit of a fright. One of the few gates down from her reared
01:06up and it set her off, but the guys at Highclere were super about the whole thing. She's been
01:12a star for them and just sad that the end of the story with the pace collapse that happened,
01:17it wasn't her in front, but no, she's come back safe and sound, so that's the main thing.
01:22As we reflect on her incredible season in the round though, I mean, as you said, she
01:27has been a bit of a bridesmaid, but some of the races she's run in defeat have been just
01:31phenomenal. I know on the ratings, I think her none thought was probably her best. I
01:35mean, how do you sort of assess and go back over some of those highlights?
01:40I think she's a filly who, it's always a bit of a punt keeping a stakes winning filly in
01:45training from three to four and she'd shown us the signs certainly in the winter into
01:53the spring. I must say, I wish I'd had her in the Alcoa's, she was absolutely flying
01:57at that stage and Hong Kong didn't quite work out for her with so much rain on the day,
02:03but well in the week into it, but she just really thrived through the spring and her
02:08listed win was pretty impressive and it kind of set the tone for the season beating a Group
02:14One performer, Group One winner and into Royal Ascot, what a filly to run twice in
02:20a week and run so well. I think possibly she was a little bit flat on the Saturday, but
02:26yeah, a Group Two winner and she danced every dance. I sort of in jest said to Harry at
02:33the start of the season that she was going to start in Hong Kong and finish in Delmar
02:36and I think the constitution of the animal is the thing that allowed her to do that,
02:42the constitution of the animal and also the belief of the owners to let me programme her
02:48quite so sort of positively.
02:50So we just saw her do a little trot and stretch her legs this morning George, I mean what
02:57is she like generally on a daily basis to deal with?
03:00She's pretty, she's a pretty straightforward filly, she's a filly who likes her girls who
03:04look after her. Holly Walker has ridden her most of, well all of her life really, done
03:10an amazing job with her and she takes a little bit of knowing, but I think she's just got
03:14that slight bit of charisma that some of the good ones have.
03:17She does seem to be a filly with loads of character, I think that's something that's
03:21maybe come across to the racing public as well.
03:23Yeah, I think so. I think having the people around her that she knows has always sort
03:27of paid dividends because she is so expressive. She's a filly who, you know, it's taken a
03:34couple of years to work her out, she wasn't the most straightforward of two-year-olds
03:38and she has just improved and improved with age and become that much more amenable both
03:43in her races and at home.
03:45And for those that haven't had a chance to see her on the racetrack, I mean what's she
03:48like as a physical type?
03:50She's a, for me, she's as good a sprinting type as you could see really. She's a deep
03:55girth, good moving type for a sprinter and, you know, she's not overly big, she'd be 15
04:02to 23 and she's become a more compact individual as time's gone on and, you know, we had her
04:10on a guineas preparation after her two-year-old career, the year after Cachet, it was kind
04:15of a sort of dream scenario but she immediately came back to sprinting trips and she very
04:22much looks a fast, sort of precocious type and one who I'm sure will breed a nice stock.
04:30And if by some stroke of luck she ended up back in the yard next year, George, what sort
04:34of campaign would it be similar to this year? What sort of programme would you look at following
04:39for her?
04:40I think it would be a very similar programme, probably missing Hong Kong at the start. She'd
04:44be campaigned into Royal Ascot, obviously there are some show-stopping events of the
04:48year and, you know, she's an affiliate who's already shown she can run twice at the meeting
04:53and, you know, we'd find a preparation race for her, possibly the haylock race that she
04:57won this year and, yeah, I'd love to campaign her with the same sort of positivity into
05:04Nunthorps and, you know, she just takes her racing so well. She's just the dream for any
05:11owner breeder to sort of buy into and have fun on the track before she takes her career
05:16back to stud.
05:17She's obviously a beautiful, physical type, George, but she's also got a very interesting
05:21pedigree actually as well, hasn't she?
05:23Yeah, she does. I think, you know, with her being obviously a Group 1 filly by Memas,
05:28who in a record-breaking season for the stallion has just become sort of that sexy sire and
05:34I'm sure he's going to end up being a brewmere sire that everyone wants to be a part of.
05:38I think sort of graduates from this sale are showing already winning breeders' cups with
05:43quite a reflection this year and a number of others going to the highest level. So I
05:49just think she is the perfect outcross for sort of any of the modern-day stallions, really.
05:54And have you had many of them in the stable? Is she quite typical from what you've seen?
05:58She is. I think the one thing that she's shown sort of all through her career is that
06:02amazing attitude to her racing and head down and just really wanting to
06:08please, really, and just makes my job so much easier.