Sunday, December 22, 2024

‘Audacious plan’ pays off as Aussie horse Asfoora smashes Royal Ascot rivals in $1m race

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Asfoora gave trainer Henry Dwyer the biggest win of his career when taking out the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot.

Asfoora became Australia’s sixth winner of the race joining sprinting greats Choisir (2003), Takeover Target (2006), Miss Andretti (2007), Scenic Blast (2009) and Nature Strip (2022).

“I’m really struggling for words,” Dwyer said after winning the £650,000 ($A1.2 million) race. “We’ve come a long way from Ballarat.

“Just an amazing experience from start to finish.

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ASCOT, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: Oisin Murphy riding Asfoora on his way to winning the King Charles III Stakes during Royal Ascot 2024 at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2024 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“It was a bit of an audacious plan – we copped a bit of stick back home for bringing her over because she wasn’t seen as one of our better sprinters but we were just so confident she was really, really textbook, wheelhouse, five furlongs and she’s proven that today.

“She’s no Black Caviar or Nature Strip but she’s a very good sprinter in her own right and she’s proved she’s up to it.”

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Asfoora sprung from gate one and trailed Regional and they led the group of six runners to come up the stand side with race favourite Big Evs taking charge of the 11 runners toward the inside rail.

Inside the final 400m, Asfoora started to drift toward the other group of runners in the centre of the track, moved up to challenge Big Evs with a furlong to run before powering away from the field over the latter stages.

Asfoora (5/1) defeated Regional (6/1) by a length with a half-length back to Big Evs (11/4 fav) in third.

King Charles III (left) speaks with trainer Henry Dwyer after Asfoora’s Royal Ascot victory. Picture: AFPSource: AFP

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“Thrilled for connections,” winning jockey Oisin Murphy said. “It’s very brave to come from Australia with a very good horse.

“She performed on the day. How good was she?

“Regional gave me the perfect tow to halfway, he gave me a nice lead. She lugged a little bit right under pressure but how good was she at the line?

“It’s hard to win Group 1s, the King Charles III Stakes is a massive race. I’m delighted. Royal Ascot day one, to win a Group 1, brilliant.”

The victory – Asfoora’s ninth from 20 starts, which took her earnings to more than $2 million – was Dwyer’s third Group 1 success.

VRC chairman Neil Wilson (clapping) delights in Asfoora’s win alongside King Charles III in the Royal Box at Royal Ascot. Picture: Alan Crowhurst / Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

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Reflecting on previous comments he’d made that he would give away the training game if he hadn’t made it by the age of 30, Dwyer – a former accountant – said he “fully expected to be broke by the age of 30”.

“I was incredibly lucky to have a couple of Group 1 winners in my first year … it’s been a bit of a dry spell since then in terms of Group 1s, but this mare just really deserved one. She’s had so much go against her in the Group 1s she’s run in in Australia.

“To get a Group 1 at home is great but to be at Royal Ascot and get a Group 1 is just amazing.

“It’s very hard to find these sort of horses when you’ve only got 40 in work. We turn over a few a year but we don’t expect to have these horses, it’s just a luxury to have them.

“For Akram (El-Fakhri), the owner, to entrust me with training her – as I said before, it’s just such a gamble bringing her over, it’s an incredibly expensive trip. We’re getting a bit of help from Royal Ascot but it’s still a very expensive experience and Akram is funding it one-out, she’s not a syndicate horse. He’s paying up for it and I think we’ve more than paid our way.”

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