No King Charles repeat for Asfoora but still rest of the summer to look forward to

Rhyl Journal

18-06-2025

The six-year-old scorched the Berkshire turf to emerge victorious at Royal Ascot 12 months ago before going on to finish a close second in the King George at Goodwood and fourth in the Nunthorpe at York.
Return trips to the Sussex Downs and the Knavesmire appear to be on the agenda for Dwyer's pride and joy who having been fitted with blinkers for the first time, was beaten around two lengths under Oisin Murphy, with the judge unable to split her and Kerdos in joint-fifth place.
Dwyer said said: 'The horse did everything right, Oisin was just of the opinion we got stuck on the wrong part of the track.
'Us and Believing never really got into the race. Even though she loomed at the 150-metre mark like she had a fair chance, she probably just felt the pinch for having to do a fair bit to get into the race.
'She's run a good, honest race and certainly hasn't run poorly and we'll stick on with the plan here like last summer. There's not much for us at home so it will be Goodwood, York and beyond hopefully.'
Asfoora beat Regional and Believing into second and fourth place last year, but while Ed Bethell's Regional again ran a stormer to place third this time around, the George Boughey-trained 3-1 favourite Believing was well held in 11th.
Bethell said: 'He's an amazing horse. He's taken his owners on an amazing journey and I'm hugely appreciative of the horse and Callum (Rodriguez). Obviously I would have loved to win, but this is horse racing and the winner and second were faster than us and that's the bottom line.
'We'll keep kicking and try to win another big one somewhere. I entered him in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and I would like to go there – a flat six furlongs at Deauville on some nice ground would probably play to his strengths and then we'd like to go to the Sprint Cup (at Haydock).
'He's a legend and we're just very lucky to have him, I'm over the moon. Well done to Jim Goldie and Paul Mulrennan (trainer and rider of winner American Affair), they deserve a win like this, they've been in the game a long time and fair play to them.'
Believing, who broke her Group One duck in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on her previous start, is now in-foal to Frankel and it remains to be seen whether she will race on or be retired.
Boughey said: 'There's a little bit of we were on the wrong side and we were quite aggressive out the gate with her, but Ryan (Moore) thinks she possibly ran the race a little back to front.
'She looked to be going well with a couple of furlongs to go and the horse next to her (Kerdos) kept getting pushed to the side. She's run with credit, it just wasn't to be today and the race happened a long way away from her.
'It will be a Coolmore decision (whether she continues to race) and they will make the call. We'll have a chat and see how she comes out of the race, that is the main thing. She's got plenty of time left and is only recently in-foal, but it will be the owners' decision.'
A neck second to American Affair at 28-1 was Frost At Dawn, whose trainer William Knight said: 'A huge run and not unexpected, I thought she would run very well. I thought the stiff five furlongs really suited her and it's just annoying to not get the win.
'I've always had belief in this horse and campaigned her aggressively in that sense and we'll continue to do so. I think she's run a blinder there today and we'll stick at five furlongs – that's her trip.
'We'll go to Goodwood and York and follow that five-furlong Pattern and maybe try to get back to Del Mar and this time run in the turf race, which we'll hopefully get into this time. '