Self Belief and Billy Lee right win the Aer Lingus College Football Classic Meld Stakes Group 3 © Photo Healy Racing
Self Belief may have been sent off the outsider of the four runner field but Willie McCreery's gelding proved too strong for the Classic generation in the featured Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown.
The lightly raced son of Make Believe won a Listed race at this track last season but had been below his best in two runs this term.
Having finished behind Alfred Munnings at the Curragh earlier this month, the Ballylinch Stud owned representative appeared to have a stiff task ahead of him.
However, in a race where the odss-on favourite Trustyourinstinct clearly failed to give his true running, it was the elder statesman of the quartet that found the most for pressure to eke out a hard fought win.
The race boiled down to a battle between himself, Alfred Munnings and Empress Of Beauty from over a furlong out but it was the McCreery trained runner that kept on best to take the plaudits.
“I'm delighted with that, Billy gave him a lovely patient ride. The last day he said he just didn't come down off the hill in the Curragh, the ground was too quick there and the first day it was probably too soft for him. It's soft but it's loose today,” said McCreery.
“He really battled today, he could have thrown in the towel half way up the straight but he didn't. He had the fighting qualities of the mare who was a good tough mare.
“I trained the mare for them, who got listed placed. He's a half-brother to a good filly Joseph O'Brien had, Statement, who won a Group 3 down in Tipperary at the end of last year.
“He's a right tough little fella. I thought he'd do this earlier in the year and I was so disgusted with his two runs, one was in too soft ground and one was a bit quick in the Curragh. He loved that loose ground.
“He's been working great and I'm delighted for John O'Connor (Ballylinch managing director) as they send me a few horses.
“We can go places now with him as he's shown he can battle, we just have to get the ground right.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson.
