Dwyer reaches for blinkers as Asfoora defends Ascot title

Powys County Times

2 days ago

Asfoora will sport blinkers in search of a 'little one per cent', as the defence of her King Charles III Stakes title marks the start of another European adventure for the Australian ace.
The six-year-old is one of 26 confirmations for the Royal Ascot feature over the minimum distance and she has happily settled back into familiar surroundings on Newmarket's Hamilton Road ahead of her bid for back-to-back victories at the meeting.
'Everything is going well and she has travelled over really well,' said trainer Henry Dwyer.
'We were a bit apprehensive over the logistics of it because last year we were here eight weeks before Ascot and had a lead-up run at Haydock which I thought was vital, whereas this year we've tried to do as much as we could at home and arrived later and then straight to Royal Ascot.
'We simply couldn't get a flight and in an ideal world we would have been here earlier. We were thinking of going to France and having a lead-up run there which would have been good, but as it turned out we couldn't get here in time.
'I think she's a different horse this year and seems to be recovering really well and reserving herself a little bit.
'Even in her work she's a different horse and she used to be really lit up and bouncy and blowy for a bit after her work because she was revved up, but now she's sort of come back to us a bit.
'I think the blinkers may have been the missing link and I've always wanted to put blinkers on her as she is quite a 'looky' horse and now I think she has been holding back a little bit, the blinkers might add that little one per cent we need.'
Everything going swimmingly in the UK for #Asfoora. Big thanks to Simon & Ed Crisford @gainsboroughHQ for letting us take a dip of an afternoon. pic.twitter.com/TXGuRqxtn1
— Henry Dwyer Racing (@HDwyerRacing) June 8, 2025
Oisin Murphy rode Asfoora last term and the champion jockey is set to renew his association having been impressed when partnering the antipodean challenger in a racecourse gallop earlier this week.
'I think her fitness is good and she seems in a good place, Oisin seems confident so I just hope he's right,' added Dwyer.
'Oisin galloped her on Monday on the July course which was a luxury as it was like a bowling green, it was beautiful ground.
'They ran an easy furlong from the five furlong to the four, then went sharp for 600 metres and she steamed through the line with the blinkers on and pulled up like she hadn't been round.'
Royal Ascot is set to be the first leg of an extended stay in the northern hemisphere for Asfoora, with Dwyer ambitiously eyeing races into the autumn after seeing his stable star thrive in Britain last term.
'Knowing that we wanted to get past York this time, we gave her two runs less in Australia this year,' explained Dwyer.
'She will run at Goodwood and York again, and then we would like to go to Ireland and France, but it depends on her. If she is in good order, we will be doing that and two less runs might mean heading to Ireland and France and I would love to get her there.
'It would be a real feather in the cap and bucket list item to just turn up there and would be a really special experience.'
Ed Bethell's Regional and George Boughey's Believing were second and fourth behind Asfoora last year and are in line for another crack at their conqueror of 12 months ago, while others to feature amongst the confirmations include new Wathnan Racing recruits Flora Of Bermuda (Andrew Balding) and Night Raider (Karl Burke), who finished second and third respectively behind Inisherin at York last month.
Mgheera is unbeaten in two stars for Ed Walker and heads to the race in peak condition, while Jane Chapple-Hyam's Cecil Frail Stakes second Prime Art has been supplemented at a cost of £46,000.
The four-year-old underwent a racecourse gallop on Wednesday morning in the hands of Billy Loughnane and Chapple-Hyam said: 'I was very happy with her, Billy was happy as well. She's come on a ton since finishing second in the Listed race at Haydock and I'm very happy.'