Henry Dwyer recalls last year's Royal Ascot triumph as Australian trainer returns to defend title - and his meeting with King Charles
There will be no surprises this week for Henry Dwyer, as preparations have been meticulous. For clarity, though, the Australian trainer is talking about himself rather than Asfoora, the beautiful mare with the lightning speed, who stands beside him.
'I'd have loved etiquette lessons,' says Dwyer, the smile on his face giving an immediate indication this story will be worth hearing.
'I had a chat with the King last year, which was completely unscripted, very unannounced and I was very unaware.'
Dwyer was in the paddock, having just saddled Asfoora before the King Charles III Stakes when he suddenly found himself in the presence of the Monarch.
Custom dictates that a man should remove his top hat when in conversation with the King and call him 'Your Highness', but this had not been made clear.
So the pair stood together, with Dwyer explaining to the King the lengths he had gone to to get Asfoora from his stables on the Bellarine Peninsula, in the state of Victoria, to Berkshire — a distance of 13,359 miles, costing in the region of £120,000, all for a race over five furlongs that would be done and dusted within a minute.
'I had no idea what to call him but we had a good chat and talked about his time in Australia as a young fellow,' Dwyer continued.
'He asked me about the horse and I said, 'It's an amazing experience meeting you, Sir, but I'd love to speak to you again after the race with the trophy'.
'He said to me, 'Let's see if we can make that happen!'.'
As they spoke, one of Dwyer's friends whipped out his phone and captured the moment. Not in their wildest dreams could they have envisaged things going any better, as Asfoora burst to the front when 110 yards out and won by a length for jockey Oisin Murphy, scooping £390,093.31 for good measure.
'Afterwards he had a big smile and he said, 'I told you I could make this happen!' and it was
terrific,' said Dwyer, now beaming, who confirmed he took his hat off on the podium. 'What an amazing life experience. Racing takes you all round the world and introduces you to so many new people.
'That's one of the amazing things about the sport and my job. It's not all about winning, it's about competing and meeting new people and I guess the King is not someone I ever expected to meet, but there we are!'
They will meet again this week, with Asfoora back to defend her title in the prestigious Group One event, a jewel in Tuesday's opening card. No doubt the pair will discuss Reaching High, the King's heavily fancied runner in the Ascot Stakes later in the day and what a result it would be if both horses obliged.
The very fact that Asfoora is here again, though, is remarkable in itself. The world is getting smaller and transporting horses is not as problematic as it once was, but the extent of the operation to get the seven-year-old from Dwyer's serene base to the biggest meeting in the world was enormous.
It started with a nine-hour, 600-mile drive to Sydney before Asfoora spent the best part of two days up in the air. To see her jig-jogging around at Southgate Stables on Newmarket's Hamilton Road on Wednesday, her bay coat gleaming, you would think she had been here all year.
'She had two days off before the flight left, then it was Sydney to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Doha, then Doha to Stansted,' Dwyer explained. 'Each leg is obviously long enough itself, with two hours sat on the tarmac in between.
'Last year we got held up for six hours clearing customs at Heathrow, but thankfully this time we didn't have that issue. She walked in here with her ears pricked, nice and bright, knowing exactly where she was. She's just a seasoned traveller now.'
And she is also a seasoned winner, her Ascot success in 2024 one of 10 wins in 24 starts.
Asfoora has been the horse of a lifetime for Dwyer and owner Akram El-Fakhri, who runs a taxi business in Melbourne.
All being well, she will be a fixture in all the big five-furlong races across Europe this summer, daring her team to dream big again. 'As a trainer, you don't really get a chance to take it all in,' said Dwyer, who has 'a boutique yard' with 45 horses in his care.
'Normally you are going day to day, grinding and getting up, going to work and repeating it. To be honest, though, last year probably still hasn't sunk in. On the plane back on the Sunday after Ascot, I had a chance to go through all the messages and reply to people. I might have watched the replay only three times since and it is still a pinch yourself moment.
'Now here we are, trying to replicate it. She seems well — let's see what we can do.'
Five things to look for at Ascot
The best week of flat racing is almost here and Royal Ascot anticipate bumper crowds, with close to 300,000 expected to flock through the gates. Mail Sport identifies five key issues to follow over five fantastic days:
THE ROYALS ARE REACHING HIGH
The King is becoming an increasingly enthusiastic racegoer, while the Queen's passion for racing is enormous and she was instrumental in the move that had led the masterful Willie Mullins to become the first Irish trainer to saddle a Royal runner at the meeting.
Mullins is the all-conquering force over jumps, but he knows how to get one ready for Ascot and Reaching High will be all the rage in Tuesday's Ascot Stakes (5pm), not least as Ryan Moore is on the ride.
The last Royal winner at Ascot was Desert Hero in 2023, but they have big chances here. Rainbows Edge, if declared for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes on Wednesday (3.40pm), would be worth following.
ALL HAIL NEW KING?
The Gold Cup is the centre point of the meeting on Thursday (4.20pm) and while it is a blow that the magnificent Kyprios has been ruled out because of injury, his stablemate Illinois can extend Aidan O'Brien's outstanding record in the race. He is a four-year-old rippling with stamina and class.
KEANE AS MUSTARD
Juddmonte's green, pink and white silks are synonymous with some of the greatest horses of all time and they will now be worn by Colin Keane, the six-time Irish champion who has been made Juddmonte's first retained rider since 2014.
Keane was appointed eight days ago and has made as many flights in the last week to get to know trainers in Newmarket and Lambourn. Field of Gold, his mount in the St James's Palace Stakes on Tuesday (4.20pm), looks a certainty. Qirat, in Wednesday's Royal Hunt Cup (5pm), is a good bet too.
'It's the pinnacle of our sport,' he told me. 'It's where everyone wants to go. I'm very fortunate to have some nice rides.'
WATHNAN WANT WINNERS
Much has happened in the two years since Wathnan, the venture of Qatar's Emir, made a spectacular entry to British racing at Royal Ascot with their first two runners — Gregory and Courage Mon Ami — both winning. They doubled their tally 12 months ago and this is the place they want to be.
You will see their peacock blue and gold silks in almost every race and you can be sure there will be success. Map of Stars (Prince Of Wales's Stakes, Wednesday, 4.20pm) is a class act while Haatem (Wolferton Stakes, Tuesday, 5.35pm) could outclass his rivals.
FIRE UP THE REVE
Japan have had 10 runners at Ascot down the years, but never enjoyed success.
That could change in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Saturday, 4.20pm) with Satono Reve. Like the Royal meeting, his work at Newmarket has been exceptional.
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