Uma profile
Believe
Believe is the kind of Uma Musume who lets her speed speak louder than words. Quiet, composed, and rarely one to seek the spotlight, she approaches racing with unwavering focus and confidence. Her calm expression can make her seem distant at first, but beneath that reserved exterior is an athlete driven by determination and an unshakable belief in her own abilities.
As a sprinter, Believe thrives on explosive acceleration and precise timing. She values efficiency over theatrics, preferring disciplined preparation and steady improvement to grand declarations. Her competitive spirit is strongest once the starting gates open, where every stride reflects careful training rather than emotion.
Despite her cool demeanour, Believe is dependable and sincere. She respects worthy rivals, quietly acknowledges hard work, and believes that consistent effort is what ultimately creates victory. Rather than chasing attention, she finds satisfaction in proving herself through results, making her someone others naturally come to trust.
Believe is a Senior Division student at Ritto Dormitory. Standing 150 cm tall, she has a compact, athletic build that perfectly suits her speciality in sprint races. She refers to herself as watashi, addresses her trainer as Trainer-san, and is voiced by Aya Suzaki.
Several details from her official profile reinforce her disciplined personality. She enjoys collecting comfortable cushions, dislikes unnecessary noise, and relaxes by quietly watching the night sky. Before important races she takes a moment to organise her thoughts, preferring calm concentration over elaborate routines. Even small habits reflect her practical outlook, showing someone who believes preparation is just as important as natural talent.
Her design mirrors this philosophy. Believe wears a modern athletic outfit inspired by sprint competition, featuring a cropped racing jacket and lightweight training gear that emphasise speed and mobility. Her asymmetrical silver hair, striking pink-orange eyes, and distinctive white blaze give her a sharp, memorable appearance while reinforcing her cool, focused image.
Although she rarely wears her emotions on her sleeve, Believe's quiet confidence and relentless work ethic leave a lasting impression. She demonstrates that true strength does not always need dramatic displays—sometimes it is simply the certainty that every step has prepared you for the finish line.
Sources
- https://umamusu.wiki/Believe
- https://gametora.com/umamusume/characters/109501-believe
- https://umamusume.com/characters/
Touch fallback
BelieveTouch and smaller layouts use grouped connection cards instead of the live radar. Open any entry to follow the relationship directly.
Same races
Same Races
4 shared rivals
Related Umas
9 total · 9 linked
Rivals
2 total · 2 linked
Stablemates
1 total · 1 linked
Mentioned By Related Umas
2 profiles
Mentioned By Rivals
2 profiles
Believe (ビリーヴ) was a Japanese bay mare whose speed carried her to two of the country’s foremost sprint prizes: the 2002 Sprinters Stakes and the 2003 Takamatsunomiya Kinen. A specialist over 1,200 metres, she progressed from the allowance ranks to become a dual G1 winner and was named the JRA Best Older Filly or Mare of 2003.
Career at a glance
Track record
Featured races
Finished 1st · G1 · at Ngt · over 1200m · Ngt (JP)
Finished 1st · G1 · at Chukyo · over 1200m · Chukyo (JP)
Finished 1st · G3 · at Hakodate · over 1200m · Hakodate (JP)
At a glance
Origins and pedigree
Foaled on April 26, 1998, Believe was bred by Uemizu Bokujo. She was purchased for ¥63 million at the 1998 Select Sale, then raced for Koji Maeda and was trained by Shigeki Matsumoto at Ritto.
Her pedigree brought together two major international influences. Believe was a daughter of Sunday Silence, the breed-shaping stallion whose progeny transformed Japanese racing, while her dam, Great Christine, was by the influential American sire Danzig. Her recorded siblings included Log Cabin, Daiwa Magic and Air Stevia.
That background and sale price gave Believe a notable starting point, but her eventual distinction came through specialization. Although she was tried at distances as far as 1,800 metres, the shape of her career increasingly pointed toward sprinting, particularly on turf.
Racing career
Early promise and finding her distance
Believe opened her recorded winning account at Kyoto on November 11, 2000. Ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga, she defeated Mad Party in a 1,200-metre turf maiden on good ground. The distance was an early indication of where her strongest performances would ultimately come.
Her next starts explored a broader range. She finished sixth over 1,600 metres at Hanshin in December and began 2001 with ninth place in a 1,200-metre dirt allowance at Kyoto. Back on turf later that month, she improved to fourth over 1,200 metres on heavy ground.
A more ambitious test followed in the Flower Cup at Nakayama on March 17. Stepping up to 1,800 metres and G3 company, Believe finished eighth behind Time Fair Lady. She then took third over 1,600 metres at Kyoto before returning to 1,200 metres at Chukyo on May 19 and winning an allowance race under Fukunaga, with Gold Disc second.
Her first attempt at a graded sprint came in the Falcon Stakes at Chukyo, where she finished ninth. The result showed that success in ordinary company did not yet translate automatically to the graded level, but the sprinting direction remained clear. After a break, she returned to win the 1,200-metre Daigo Tokubetsu at Kyoto in November, defeating Check the Luck. A third over 1,600 metres at Hanshin closed her season.
Building toward the top level
Believe’s four-year-old campaign in 2002 began with a sequence of competitive efforts rather than immediate victories. She was second to Shonan Kampf in the 1,200-metre Yamashiro Stakes at Kyoto, then finished third over 1,600 metres at Hanshin and third over 1,200 metres at Nakayama.
The breakthrough came in the Yodoyabashi Stakes at Hanshin on April 14. With Yasunari Iwata riding, Believe defeated Resurreccion over 1,200 metres. She then demonstrated that she could remain effective beyond the minimum sprint trip by finishing third from a wide draw in the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup over 1,400 metres at Tokyo.
A seventh in the TV Aichi Open interrupted her progress, but the summer brought the sustained winning sequence that transformed her standing. Believe won the 1,200-metre Sasebo Stakes at Kokura on July 20 under Fukunaga, beating Osumi Erst. Four weeks later, with Iwata aboard, she defeated the same runner-up in the Kitakyushu Tankyori Stakes over the same course and distance.
Those victories established momentum; the Centaur Stakes proved she could carry it into graded company.
Defining races
2002 Centaur Stakes: the graded breakthrough
On September 8, 2002, Believe contested the G3 Centaur Stakes over 1,200 metres at Hanshin. Starting from the inside draw under Iwata, she defeated Paian in a 12-runner field.
This was a crucial transition point. Believe had won three consecutive sprint races, but the Centaur Stakes was her first recorded graded success after earlier defeats in races such as the Flower Cup and Falcon Stakes. It confirmed that her progression through allowance company had produced a sprinter capable of competing at the higher levels.
The timing was especially significant: only three weeks later, she stepped into G1 company for the race that would define her career.
2002 Sprinters Stakes: reaching the summit
Believe entered the Sprinters Stakes on September 29 with four successive victories behind her. The race was held over 1,200 metres at Niigata, and Yutaka Take took the ride.
Facing ten opponents, Believe won from Admire Cozzene. The result extended her sequence to five straight victories and completed a rapid ascent from the Sasebo Stakes in July, through another allowance success and the Centaur Stakes, to the highest level of Japanese sprint racing.
The Sprinters Stakes became the signature victory on her record. It also crystallized the profile that had gradually emerged from her earlier campaigns: while experiments over 1,600 and 1,800 metres had produced respectable efforts, her decisive advancement came when she was concentrated at 1,200 metres.
Believe ended 2002 with an international assignment in the Hong Kong Sprint. Racing over 1,000 metres, she finished 12th of 14 behind All Thrills Too. The overseas result did not extend her winning run, but her domestic G1 success had already established her among Japan’s leading sprinters.
2003 Takamatsunomiya Kinen: a second G1 crown
Believe began 2003 with ninth place behind Shonan Kampf in the G3 Hankyu Hai at Hanshin. That return offered little indication of what followed at Chukyo on March 30.
Ridden by K. Ando, she contested the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen over 1,200 metres. From the inside draw in an 18-runner field, Believe defeated Sunningdale to claim her second G1 victory.
The performance broadened her top-level record beyond the previous autumn’s Sprinters Stakes. She had now won Japan’s major spring and autumn sprint features in successive seasons, demonstrating that the 2002 breakthrough was not an isolated peak.
The final campaign and Sprinters Stakes rematch
Believe’s subsequent attempts over longer distances were less successful. She finished eighth in the 1,400-metre Keio Hai Spring Cup, won by Telegnosis, and 12th behind Agnes Digital in the 1,600-metre G1 Yasuda Kinen.
Returned to 1,200 metres, she immediately regained winning form in the G3 Hakodate Sprint Stakes on July 6, defeating Agnes Sonic. That contrast reinforced the importance of distance to her career: at the pure sprint trip, she remained a major force.
Her autumn began with second place to Tenshino Kiseki in the Centaur Stakes. Believe then returned to the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama on October 5. She could not repeat her victory of the previous year, but finished second to Durandal in a 15-runner field, ahead of fellow sprinting names that included Calstone Light O.
The result gave her career a strong closing statement. Twelve months after winning the race at Niigata, she remained capable of finishing runner-up in the same G1 championship event at Nakayama.
Connections and racing profile
Shigeki Matsumoto trained Believe from Ritto for owner Koji Maeda. Yuichi Fukunaga was closely associated with her formative seasons, riding her for her first recorded win, her 2001 Chukyo allowance victory and several races during her rise through the classes. Yasunari Iwata partnered her for important 2002 successes, including the Yodoyabashi Stakes, Kitakyushu Tankyori Stakes and Centaur Stakes.
Yutaka Take rode her to her first G1 victory in the Sprinters Stakes and remained aboard for the Hong Kong Sprint and her 2003 return in the Hankyu Hai. K. Ando then guided her through the major stages of her final season, most notably the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and Hakodate Sprint Stakes, as well as her runner-up finishes in the Centaur Stakes and Sprinters Stakes.
Believe’s results define her as a turf sprinter. All of her recorded victories came over 1,200 metres, and her strongest sustained sequences were built at that distance. She could compete effectively at 1,400 metres, as shown by her third in the 2002 Keio Hai Spring Cup, but her efforts at 1,600 and 1,800 metres did not produce comparable results.
Career at a glance
- Foaled: April 26, 1998
- Sex and colour: Bay mare
- Breeder: Uemizu Bokujo
- Owner: Koji Maeda
- Trainer: Shigeki Matsumoto, Ritto
- Sire: Sunday Silence
- Dam: Great Christine, by Danzig
- Sale: ¥63 million, 1998 Select Sale
- Principal distance: 1,200 metres on turf
- Major G1 wins: 2002 Sprinters Stakes; 2003 Takamatsunomiya Kinen
- Other graded wins: 2002 Centaur Stakes; 2003 Hakodate Sprint Stakes
- JRA earnings: ¥460.31 million
- Award: JRA Best Older Filly or Mare, 2003
Retirement and legacy
Believe retired with ¥460.31 million in JRA earnings and no recorded NAR earnings. Her record was distinguished not merely by one championship success, but by a concentrated period of sprint excellence: five consecutive wins culminating in the 2002 Sprinters Stakes, a second G1 triumph in the 2003 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, and a return to the Sprinters Stakes later that year to finish second.
The 2003 JRA Best Older Filly or Mare award recognized the quality of that final campaign. Her legacy is that of an expensive Select Sale prospect who developed through the ordinary racing classes, found her optimum role at 1,200 metres and became one of Japan’s leading speed mares of the early 2000s.
Sources
- Believe — horse profile, pedigree and record at netkeiba
- 2002 Centaur Stakes result
- 2002 Sprinters Stakes result
- 2003 Takamatsunomiya Kinen result
- 2003 Hakodate Sprint Stakes result
- 2003 Sprinters Stakes result
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe_(Cher_song)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Believe_Me_(TV_series)
- https://www.jbis.jp/horse/0001225032/
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/200008050304/
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/200009050408/
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/200108010210/
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/200108020109/
- https://en.netkeiba.com/db/race/200106020711/
| Date | Race | Grade | Course | Going | Dist | Pos | Draw | Jockey | Wgt | SP | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-10-05 |
SPRINTERS STAKES
|
G1 | Nakayama (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 2 | 11 | K.Ando | 55.0 kg | 2.2 | 1:08.0 |
| 2003-09-14 |
CENTAUR STAKES
|
G3 | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 2 | 2 | K.Ando | 57.0 kg | 1.8 | 1:07.8 |
| 2003-07-06 |
HAKODATE SPRINT STAKES
|
G3 | Hakodate (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 7 | K.Ando | 56.0 kg | 1.7 | 1:09.3 |
| 2003-06-08 |
YASUDA KINEN
|
G1 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 1600 m | 12 | 5 | K.Ando | 56.0 kg | 22.4 | 1:32.8 |
| 2003-05-18 |
KEIO HAI SPRING CUP
|
G2 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 1400 m | 8 | 9 | K.Ando | 57.0 kg | 6.9 | 1:21.8 |
| 2003-03-30 |
TAKAMATSUNOMIYA KINEN
|
G1 | Chukyo (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 1 | K.Ando | 55.0 kg | 10.1 | 1:08.1 |
| 2003-03-02 |
HANKYU HAI
|
G3 | Hanshin (JP) | Good to Soft | 1200 m | 9 | 10 | Yutaka Take | 57.0 kg | 3.7 | 1:09.6 |
| 2002-12-15 |
HONG KONG SPRINT
|
G1 | Hong Kong (JP) | Good | 1000 m | 12 | 11 | Yutaka Take | 55.5 kg | 0.0 | 0:58.1 |
| 2002-09-29 |
SPRINTERS STAKES
|
G1 | Ngt (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 4 | Yutaka Take | 55.0 kg | 2.2 | 1:07.7 |
| 2002-09-08 |
CENTAUR STAKES
|
G3 | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 1 | Yasunari Iwata | 54.0 kg | 2.0 | 1:07.1 |
| 2002-08-17 |
KITAKYUSHU TANKYORI STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kokura (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 6 | Yasunari Iwata | 56.0 kg | 2.0 | 1:07.8 |
| 2002-07-20 |
SASEBO STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kokura (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 10 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 56.0 kg | 1.9 | 1:07.7 |
| 2002-06-08 |
TV AICHI OPEN OP
|
OP | Chukyo (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 7 | 9 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 1.9 | 1:09.3 |
| 2002-05-12 |
KEIO HAI SPRING CUP
|
G2 | Tokyo (JP) | Good | 1400 m | 3 | 17 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 55.0 kg | 14.9 | 1:20.5 |
| 2002-04-14 |
YODOYABASHI STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 14 | Yasunari Iwata | 54.0 kg | 3.9 | 1:07.7 |
| 2002-03-24 |
FUNABASHI STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Nakayama (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 3 | 6 | K.Ando | 54.0 kg | 2.5 | 1:08.2 |
| 2002-03-10 |
MUKOGAWA STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 1600 m | 3 | 15 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 54.0 kg | 5.3 | 1:34.0 |
| 2002-02-17 |
YAMASHIRO STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 2 | 2 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 54.0 kg | 3.7 | 1:08.2 |
| 2001-12-15 |
SAKASEGAWA STAKES ALW (3 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 1600 m | 3 | 12 | F.Komaki | 53.0 kg | 8.5 | 1:34.2 |
| 2001-11-10 |
DAIGO TOKUBETSU ALW (2 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 2 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 8.5 | 1:08.8 |
| 2001-06-10 |
CHUNICHI SPORTS SHO FALCON STAKES
|
G3 | Chukyo (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 9 | 6 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 19.9 | 1:09.6 |
| 2001-05-19 |
3yo ALW (1 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Chukyo (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 4 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 4.4 | 1:08.3 |
| 2001-05-04 |
AZUSA SHO ALW (1 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 1600 m | 3 | 18 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 6.9 | 1:34.9 |
| 2001-03-17 |
JIJI PRESS HAI FLOWER CUP
|
G3 | Nakayama (JP) | Good | 1800 m | 8 | 14 | J.Horai | 53.0 kg | 22.7 | 1:51.1 |
| 2001-01-27 |
KANZAKURA SHO ALW (1 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kyoto (JP) | Heavy | 1200 m | 4 | 8 | M.Matsunaga | 53.0 kg | 8.4 | 1:12.1 |
| 2001-01-06 |
WAKANA SHO ALW (1 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 9 | 10 | M.Matsunaga | 53.0 kg | 6.9 | 1:14.8 |
| 2000-12-10 |
3yo ALW (1 Win)
|
Pre-OP | Hanshin (JP) | Good | 1600 m | 6 | 1 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 3.8 | 1:36.6 |
| 2000-11-11 |
3yo DBT
|
Maiden | Kyoto (JP) | Good | 1200 m | 1 | 2 | Yuichi Fukunaga | 53.0 kg | 1.5 | 1:10.5 |
Citations
Race Result Sources
AI Race Import 2026-07-02 12:08 UTC
Imported and enriched race results from supported racing sources.