Royal Ascot and Asfoora Wins First Day

[Gammalite]

Wacko smacko . first Day of the great meeting and the Aussie Sprinter ASFOORA takes out the King Charles III Group 1 sprint.

Like Black Caviar, Nature Strip and others enjoying the greatest Meeting on the planet.

ASFOORA does Australia proud and just like Olympic Gold medal against the great racing nations she takes the Big prize for the Aussie Trainer Henry Dwyer. (move over Moods and Waller lol)

How good was that ? 

Imperatriz not needed either to show case the fine Sprinters from Down-under. Imagine she would of carved em' up completely , but not to be. 

 

 

[Chief Stipe]

Asfoora's Royal Ascot triumph | RACING.COM

www.racing.com

Asfoora continued Australia’s brilliant record in Royal Ascot’s feature sprints with a scintillating win in the Group 1 King Charles Stakes (1000m) on Tuesday.

 

Henry Dwyer’s gamble to campaign the five-year-old on the world stage paid handsome dividends when she demolished a field of the UK’s premier sprinters.

 

The mare always appeared to travel sweetly just behind the speed on the stand side and noticeably quickened when jockey Oisin Murphy asked for an effort inside the final 400m.

 

Asfoora claimed the lead inside the final 150m and put a length on runner-up Regional at the iconic winning post, with race favourite Big Evs a further half-length away in third.

 

SHE'S DONE IT!

 

Asfoora wins the King Charles III Stakes for @HDwyerRacing & Australia ⭐ pic.twitter.com/asoXdQNOLE

 

— Racing.com (@Racing) June 18, 2024

Asfoora is the eighth Australian-trained horse to win at Royal Ascot and the third mare after Miss Andretti and Black Caviar. Six Aussie sprinters have now won the King Charles Stakes.

 

Dwyer said the win was a dream come true and vindication for the decision to chase an international Group 1 win, despite the fact she hasn’t won at the elite level in Australia.

 

“We’ve come a long way from Ballarat but it’s been an amazing experience from start to finish and we’ve been so well looked after and we’re so grateful for that,” Dwyer said.

 

“It was a bit of an audacious plan and we got a bit of stick at home for bringing her over because she wasn’t seen as one of our better sprinters but we were just so confident that she was a really textbook five furlong (horse) and she’s proven that today.

 

“I fully expected to be broke by the age of 30 but I was incredibly lucky to have a couple of Group 1 winners in my first year but it’s been a bit of a dry spell since then in terms of Group 1 wins.

 

“This mare really deserved one because she’s had so much go against her in the Group 1 races she’s run in Australia.

 

“To get a Group 1 win at home is great but to get one at Royal Ascot is amazing.

 

“We don’t expect to have these horses, it’s just an absolute luxury to have them and I’m so grateful to Akram (El-Fahkri) for entrusting me with her.”

 

Murphy said he was confident in the run that Asfoora could finish off up the stiff Ascot rise.

 

“I’m thrilled for connections because it was very brave to come from Australia with a very good horse but she’s taken all the travel and performed on the day,” Murphy said.

 

“I wasn’t focusing on Big Evs, I was focusing on Regional and he gave me the perfect tow to halfway.

 

“She lugged a little bit right under pressure but how good was she on the line.”

 

"We've come a long way from Ballarat."@HDwyerRacing adds his name to the list of Australian trainers to have conquered Royal Ascot 🎩 pic.twitter.com/CaGOfDaNrs

 

 

— Racing.com (@Racing) June 18, 2024

[Chief Stipe]

46 minutes ago, Gammalite said:

Imperatriz not needed either to show case the fine Sprinters from Down-under. Imagine she would of carved em' up completely , but not to be. 

Asfoora stamps Imperatriz's form.  I wonder what @holy ravioli thinks.