Australian mare Asfoora has again conquered Britain, powering to victory in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
Trained by Henry Dwyer and ridden by Oisin Murphy, Asfoora surged to the front 200 metres from home and raced clear to score by a length and a quarter, adding the Nunthorpe to her 2023 King Charles III Stakes triumph. She joins Ortensia as the only Australian winners of the sprint.
“I’d love to see the replay as I was under a scrum of people for the last bit, but that looked very convincing,” Dwyer said. “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.”
ASFOORA! 🚀
Group One success in the @coolmorestud Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes 🥇@yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/Zp71FRm58r
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 22, 2025
The win ended a lean run for Asfoora, who had gone winless in four starts since her King Charles success. She was a beaten favourite in last year’s Nunthorpe and finished unplaced in both the King Charles and King George Qatar Stakes this summer.
Dwyer said the mare was primed to peak for this race.
“It was really disappointing last year but we really thought she was on song this time. We knew there were no excuses – it was win or be retired,” he said.
“It’s an incredible buzz to be validated with what you think. A few people were doubting her and it’s hard to keep faith when they’re not winning, but we never lost it.
“We didn’t set out to come over here again, it was just that there were no options for her in Australia. The programme doesn’t cater for five-furlong horses over there, but she’s done it again.”
