'Really smart' Highclere filly under 'serious consideration' for Haydock Sprint Cup

The team behind Believing are considering splashing out £20,000 to supplement her for the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on September 9.

A daughter of Mehmas, Believing is trained by George Boughey in Newmarket and runs in the light blue silks of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.

She displayed useful form as a juvenile last year but has improved this term, winning a Chantilly Group 3 in May before landing a Listed prize at Pontefract last time.

In between those appearances was an outing in a Group 2 at Chantilly that resulted in her beating just one of her 11 rivals home.

However, connections are contemplating a crack at the highest level in the £400,000 contest and say she can be forgiven for that effort.

"We're trying to work out where she goes next," Highclere's Harry Herbert said. "It's possible we supplement her for the Sprint Cup. She won a Group 3, but she gave her chance away at Chantilly after that by rearing in the stalls.

"She was then impressive from a bad draw at Pontefract, so she's really smart. We'd have to supplement her on the Monday before the race and, like all these things, we need to get nearer the time and see what's what, but her rating [108] is coming up to a level for this type of thing and she's improving rapidly as well. We're giving it serious consideration."

George Boughey: trainer of BelievingCredit: Edward Whitaker

Commonwealth Cup winner Shaquille, who then followed up in the July Cup, is the 7-4 Sprint Cup favourite with the race sponsors, while the Karl Burke-trained Spycatcher, a fine second at the highest level in the Prix Maurice de Gheest recently, is a 10-1 chance. He is also owned by Highclere, whose Believing is 16-1 with Betfair.

"Believing looks an improving filly and, with connections strongly suggesting supplementing for the Group 1, we have added her to the betting at 16-1," said Betfair's Barry Orr. 

"Another three-year-old filly attracting some support following her win in Naas on Sunday is Ocean Quest, and she is now 12-1 from 16-1."

Highclere has previous with the Sprint Cup and won it with Tamarisk in 1998.

Betfair Sprint Cup (Haydock, September 9)

Betfair: 7-4 Shaquille, 7-2 Kinross, 10 Spycatcher, 12 Ocean Quest, Azure Blue, Sacred, 16 Believing, Lezoo, Sense of Duty, Vadream, 20 bar

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