Believe It (February 9, 1975 – June 5, 2002) was an American bred racehorse. His sire was

In Reality In Reality (March 1, 1964 – May 8, 1989) was an American bred racehorse. Bred in Florida, he was a son of Intentionally and out of the mare My Dear Girl, the 1959 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. His damsire was Santa Anita Derby winner R ...

and his dam was Breakfast Bell. He won 6 of his 17 starts. His biggest win was the 1978

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memor ...

. He also won the 1977

Remsen Stakes The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The one and one-eighths mile race is open to two-year-olds and currently offers a purse of ...

, defeating

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown of Thoro ...

by two lengths on a sloppy track, the only loss either Alydar or

Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known ...

suffered to a horse other than each other prior to the

1978 Kentucky Derby The 1978 Kentucky Derby was the 104th running of the Kentucky Derby. Affirmed, under jockey Steve Cauthen, won the race by 1 1/2 lengths over Alydar. Believe It finished 3rd, 1 1/4 lengths behind Alydar, and 30:1 longshot Darby Creek Road finis ...

. Early in 1978, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' declared Believe It to be one of the best three-year-olds in 1978, and his trainer,

Woody Stephens Woody Stephens (September 1, 1913 – August 22, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer. Biography Born Woodford Cefis Stephens in Stanton, Kentucky, he had a younger brother named William Ward Stephens who also b ...

said the colt was one of the best he had ever trained. "Believe It was a very nice colt last year and if I know anything at all it's that he has improved greatly this winter." However, he lost to Alydar in the Flamingo Stakes on March 4, finishing a disappointing fourth. He lost again to Alydar in the Florida Derby on April 1 by two lengths. He bounced back in the

Wood Memorial The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...

April 22, defeating Darby Creek Road by 3 1/2 lengths and completing the 1 1/8 mile race in 1:49 4/5. Following his victory in the Wood Memorial, he entered the

as the fourth choice at 7–1, behind

and

Sensitive Prince Sensitive Prince (April 1, 1975 – January 24, 1991) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Out of the mare Sensitive Lady, he was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Majestic Prince. Sensitive Price had the misfortune of being born in ...

. After leading Affirmed by a head with a quarter mile to go, he faded to third in the Derby, behind only eventual Triple Crown winner Affirmed and Alydar. He finished the derby 2 3/4 lengths behind Affirmed and just 1 1/4 lengths behind Alydar. Two weeks later at 6-1 odds, he again finished third behind Affirmed and Alydar in the

1978 Preakness Stakes The 1978 Preakness Stakes was the 103rd running of the $210,000 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race took place on May 20, 1978, and was televised in the United States on the ABC television network. Affirmed, who was jockeye ...

, although much farther back at 7 1/2 lengths. His

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes was

Eddie Maple Edward Retz "Eddie" Maple (born November 8, 1948, in Carrollton, Ohio) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. One of eight siblings, he is an older brother to jockey Sam Maple, who won more than 2,500 races. Maple began riding ...

. After the Preakness, trainer

announced that Believe It would not challenge the two horses in the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

. "I'm going to where they ain't. In the Derby, Believe It was beaten by less than three lengths. In the Preakness, it was nearly eight. So long, Affirmed. Bye-bye, Alydar." Stephens chose teen phenom jockey

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

to ride Believe It in the June 18

Ohio Derby The Ohio Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-to-late June at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio. The Grade III stakes for three-year-olds is run on dirt over a distance of 1 miles. The race currently offers a pur ...

. With Cauthen aboard, Believe It was the heavy favorite, but finished sixth in the race. He was retired to stud afterwards. Believe It sired several grade 1 winners. He was the

damsire Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

of 1998

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

winner

Real Quiet Real Quiet (March 7, 1995 – September 27, 2010) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was nicknamed "The Fish" by his trainer due to his narrow frame. He is best remembered for winning the first two legs of American Triple ...

, who lost the Triple Crown by a nose in the 1998 Belmont Stakes. Still at stud with some offspring to come in 2003, he died in his paddock on June 5, 2002 at Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, Louisiana and was buried at the farm.

References

{{reflist 1975 racehorse births 2002 racehorse deaths American Grade 1 Stakes winners Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 1-n