Survie primed for clash with Calandagan and Rebel’s Romance

The 2025 Dubai World Cup meeting started off a big few weeks for Classic-winning British trainer George Boughey.

His filly, Believing, won the Group One Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, just months after selling to her new owners. Soon after, he became a father for the first time. Not surprisingly, that week in April lives rent free in the mind of the young Newmarket trainer.

“It ranks very highly,” he says of Believing’s success, achieved under jockey William Buick. “After what happened to her at Del Mar [Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint] when she flipped in the stalls, to bring her back and have her first start after that be a Group One win in the Al Quoz was a great achievement by everyone involved. She’d been a bridesmaid and finally became the bride, so it was very special.

“She was bought for a lot of money [1.9million Guineas] at the [Tattersalls] Mares’ sale with the aim of winning a Group One and going to stud, and we were able to deliver that. It meant a lot to do it for those owners.”

Twelve months on and Boughey is back with another smart mare, Group Two winner Survie, who heads for the Dubai Longines Sheema Classic and a clash with superstars Calandagan and Rebel’s Romance.

The five-year-old is new to the yard, having been trained in France by Nicolas Clement and Frauke Hermans prior to 2026. Since joining Boughey, she has won at Lingfield and finished a creditable third to Royal Champion in the  Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia.

“She arrived the day after the Mares’ sale in good condition,” says the trainer. “From the moment she came to us, the plan was to try and campaign her internationally and Saudi was always the initial target.

“We were delighted with the Neom run. The draw made things difficult - being in stall 10 over that trip, going straight into the bend - is never ideal and it meant we had to ride her further back than we’d have liked. Given that, she ran as well as we could have hoped. Her work had been good beforehand and she had stepped forward from her win at Lingfield, so it was very encouraging.”

Boughey feels that the daughter of Churchill has improved since that run and may have more to offer on 28 March.

“She’s really thrived in the last couple of weeks, particularly with a bit of warmer weather,” he says. “She’s in a much better place physically now, with her summer coat coming through, and she looks in great shape heading into the race.

“This was always the plan if she ran well in Saudi. She’s shown she’s versatile between 10 and 12 furlongs and had already run well over further, so this looked the logical next step before her European campaign.”

Survie’s career record and race fitness give her strong credentials ahead of the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, but Boughey is under no illusions as to the scale of the task she faces against some of the best turf horses in the world.

“Calandagan stands out and sets a very high standard as the highest-rated horse in the world - he’ll be hard to beat,” he says. “But our filly is still building her profile and improving, and if she can run her race, we’d be delighted.”

Boughey has proved he can get one right for this day on the calendar. That, like Survie, is not to be underestimated.