Victorians breeders celebrated overnight with Aussie bred and owned Flying Artie mare Asfoora returning to her dazzling best to win the Group I Nunthorpe Stakes (5f) at York with a scintillating performance.
Trained by Henry Dwyer and ridden by Oisin Murphy, seven year-old Asfoora won the Group I King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and was having her third run of her current campaign at York.
She enjoyed the good ground to power clear and win by a length and a quarter taking her overall record to 11 wins, seven of them in Group races.
“It seems surreal, silly and it's all been a novelty. I've really been on a holiday with Asfoora the last two years,” said a delighted Henry Dwyer.
“It was all getting a bit hard before Ascot as we didn't have the transport, and if I'm 100 per cent honest, if I owned her I wouldn't have come back. Akram [El-Fahkri, owner] was very insistent we did and that she deserved another chance.
“I'd love to see the replay as I was under a scrum of people for the last bit, but that looked very convincing. When you know they're going to win at the two-furlong marker, you're on pretty good terms with yourself. It was an easy watch and really enjoyable.”
Her strapper Chenelle Ellis has been a big part of the Asfoor a story accompanying the mare in every step of her international travels.
Bred by Akram El-Fahkri of Noor Elaine Farm and retained to race after she was passed in when offered for sale at the 2020 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, Asfoora is the first foal of placed I Am Invincible mare Golden Child, who comes from the family of Group III winner Big Chill and stakes-winners Hard Stride and Utah Saints.
Golden Child has an unraced three year-old colt by Dirty Work that was bought by Henry Dywer for $140,000 at Inglis Premier and has a yearling filly by Flying Artie, She is due to foal to him again this spring.
Asfoora is one of two Group I winners for Blue Gum Farm’s Flying Artie, who stands this spring at a fee of $11,000.
