Undefeated filly Believe Yourself is set to contest the 2014 Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens on April 5 after scoring an upset win over Twirl in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Believe Yourself (outside) will head to the Golden Slipper after an upset win in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart
Twirl was well backed in the lead-up to the race and looked as though she had the race won when she kicked clear at the 300 metre mark, but she was quickly challenged by Believe Yourself who pulled clear on the line to record her second race win from as many starts.
Trainer Gerald Ryan was delighted with the effort of Believe Yourself and confirmed that she would head towards the Golden Slipper, if she pulled up with no issues from her maiden win at Group level.
“She is an amazing little filly,” Ryan said after the race.
“She doesn’t show a hell of a lot at home, but every time I have jumped her out of the barriers prior to racing at Kembla and this time in she goes five lengths better than what she does on the track.
“I always said to (owner) Tom (Sekiguchi) that she would be better over 1400 or 1600 metres and Tom was mad that I wasn’t going to run her in the Slipper.
“I said that if we win our way there we will go there and she is in the Slipper now.
“She is not very experienced and she is only a little thing, so I don’t think that she would cop another run in three weeks’ time and then back up into the Slipper.
“If she is fit and well, she will go to the Slipper straight from here.”
Believe Yourself’s stablemate Tetsuko was well-backed in the lead-up to the Sweet Embrace Stakes and worked home fairly to finish third, but Ryan admitted that he was slightly disappointed with the effort of the of the I Am Invincible filly.
“To me she raced like a horse that needs blinkers,” Ryan said.
“She was a bit hesitant amongst horses and she didn’t let go when she got between those two horses in the straight, so it is back to the drawing board with her.”
Ryan will have the opportunity to record another win at Group level this afternoon when Snitzerland takes on Buffering in the Challenge Stakes (1000m) and Koroibete makes his Group 1 debut in the Randwick Guineas (1600m).
