Image: David Cormack
Day One of Ascot’s Royal Meeting has seen some memorable wins for Australian sprinters over the years. This year just one horse had made the long and expensive trip, Henry Dwyer’s Flying Artie mare Asfoora who took her shot in the King Charles III Stakes. This is a race won in the past by Nature Strip, Scenic Blast, Little Bridge, Takeover Target and Choisir so she had plenty to live up to and many from both ends of the world doubted Dwyer’s bold plan.
Asfoora had warmed up for this Group 1 sprint with a creditable fourth place on soft ground at Haydock last month. Despite that defeat confidence was high that with the run under her belt and with the firmer ground conditions likely to be in her favour she’d be very competitive and she duly went off a well-supported 5/1 second favourite with betting apps in Australia.
In the race they split into two groups with favourite Big Evs burning up the far side while the stands side group were led by Regional with Asfoora tracking him.
At the two furlong pole jockey Oisin Murphy pressed the button on Asfoora and she took a lead in her group and started to drift over to Big Evs, who was still leading on the far side.
At the on furlong pole Asfoora still hadn’t got the better of her main rival but was gaining stride by stride and half a furlong out she finally hit the front, staying on strongly to win by a length from Regional, who kept on well for second, with Big Evs fading into third.
The win was vindication for trainer Dwyer who admitted they’d taken a huge risk bringing her over. “It was such a gamble bringing her over; it’s such an expensive trip and Akram is paying up for it alone but we’ve more than paid our way today.”
With a relatively small string at his disposal in what can often be a numbers game Dwyer was also keen to acknowledge how lucky he was to end up with one as good as Asfoora in his yard.
“It’s hard to find these sorts of horses when you’ve only got 40 in work and we don’t expect it,” said Dwyer. “It’s an absolute luxury to have a mare like this and for Akram El-Fahkri to entrust me to train her.”
The plan is for the mare to stay in the UK with trips to Goodwood for the King George Stakes and to York for the Nunthorpe Stakes the likely targets.
The day’s big three-year-old race, The St. James’s Palace Stakes, saw the winners of the French, English and Irish 2,000 Guineas line up and it was Rosallion, winner at the Curragh after finishing second to Notable Speech at Newmarket, who triumphed.
It took almost all of the mile for him to do so however, Aidan O’Brien’s Henry Longfellow, who had disappointed in France last time, providing stiff opposition and only giving way in the last 50 yards.
The winner is likely to go for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood where he may well meet Charyn who took the day’s other Group 1 race, the Queen Anne Stakes, in good style.
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