By Tom Frary
Unable to take part in Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines moments before the off due to a misplaced passport, Asfoora (Flying Artie) followed all that pre-race drama with a welcome straightforward display to make history. Overpowering the outsider Jawwal (Wooded) inside the final furlong, the 5-2 favourite asserted her superiority under Oisin Murphy to record a half-length success, the first of any kind for her nation in France. The Abbaye is also a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint next month.
“It's surreal–we were within a minute and a half of not running,” trainer Henry Dwyer said of the seven-year-old who had plundered the Nunthorpe in August. “I had an Uber driver on a retainer of £200 to get the passport here in time!”
“We planned this whole journey, trying to experience new things and here we are winning a Group 1 on Arc day,” he added. “We were confident it was fresh ground where she was and hopeful that she might be okay on it and she was.”
Asfoora's initial European escapade began last spring, with King Charles III glory as a result and even though her subsequent efforts at Goodwood and York didn't bear more fruit, it was decided that she would be back for the sequel in 2025. This time, Royal Ascot passed by unsuccessfully but things fell into place in the Nunthorpe and even though she had disappointed in the Flying Five this looked weak even before the rain saw to the removal of a key rival in Rayevka (Blue Point).
With a highly favourable draw in three, everything was set fair until the discovery that her passport had been left behind but once the admin was sorted there was really little else to worry about. As the race wound up with the first seven home coming from single-figure stalls, Asfoora proved the classiest of those and was able to hammer home her advantage in the final 100 metres.
Henry Dwyer revealed the saga that unfolded before the off. “We were a bit lucky, because we had the passport of the horse we bought yesterday at Arqana by mistake and fortunately Francis Graffard's assistant went back to the yard, gave it to an Uber and now we can drink champagne! So thank you to him as well and thank you to the Uber driver,” he joked.
“We fully intended to come for the Abbaye last year, but we just felt she'd come to the end of her campaign and so this year we decided to mind her a little with the goal of going to Ireland and then to France,” he explained. “Unfortunately, the ground wasn't in our favour in Ireland and it wasn't completely today either, but she was able to handle it this time. I'm not a big trainer–I'm not going to win trainer titles or Melbourne Cups or anything like that but trying something different is what motivates us, I guess. I owe her everything. She's given us the thrill of a lifetime.”
Before Asfoora arrived on the scene, there was more than a brief moment where glory for the Czech raider Jawwal was a real possibility and but for a retrieved passport connections would have been celebrating their own breakthrough. Trainer Vaclav Luka's wife Martina was nevertheless thrilled with the outcome. “It's an incredible day for us–truly a great day,” she said. “Just being here is already a dream, but finishing second in a Group 1–I can't believe it! We hesitated about running him, because he's only three and had to carry a big weight, but he really outdid himself.”
Unsurprisingly, the consistent She's Quality (Acclamation) was putting up another highly creditable effort beaten a total of three lengths in third and trainer Jack Davison is now focused on Del Mar. “She ran a super race after a long campaign,” he said. “She was coming off a Group 1 fourth at The Curragh and now she's finished third in the Abbaye. She always turns up when it matters.”
“She's proved herself to be a top-class sprinter and we're very pleased with her run, especially as she's better on good ground,” he added. “She's improved a lot from three to four and there's no reason she shouldn't progress again from four to five. We're considering running her in the Breeders' Cup–partly because the ground and track at Del Mar should suit her and also because she travels so well.”
Pedigree Notes
Asfoora's dam Golden Child (I Am Invincible) hails from the family of the 18 times-winning multiple Stakes scorer Hard Stride (Street Sense) and the Group 3 winner Big Chill by Artie Schiller who is the sire of Flying Artie. Her yearling and foal are a full-sister and full-brother to Asfoora respectively.
ASFOORA WINS IN THE GROUP ONE PRIX DE L'ABBAYE! 🏆🇫🇷#QPAT pic.twitter.com/tLHjpLXXBa
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 5, 2025
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE L'ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES-G1, €350,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-5, 2yo/up, 5fT, :56.39, vsf.
1–ASFOORA (AUS), 133, m, 7, by Flying Artie (Aus)
1st Dam: Golden Child (Aus), by I Am Invincible (Aus)
2nd Dam: Predestined (Aus), by King's Best
3rd Dam: Hard Rider (NZ), by Maroof
(24,000 RNA Ylg '20 MGMADE). O/B-Noor Elaine Farm Pty Ltd; T-Henry Dwyer; J-Oisin Murphy. €199,990. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, MGSW & MG1SP-Aus, 29-12-3-2, €2,290,826. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Jawwal (Fr), 136, g, 3, Wooded (Ire)–Al Johrah (GB), by Bated Breath (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€13,000 2yo '24 ARQNOV). O-Jiri Odchazel-Joly; B-Al Shaqab Racing; T-Vaclav Luka. €80,010.
3–She's Quality (Ire), 133, f, 4, Acclamation (GB)–Quality Time (Ire), by Exceed And Excel (Aus). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€195,000 Ylg '22 GOFOR). O-Aristia Park Bloodstock & Partners; B-Rathbarry Stud; T-Jack Davison. €40,005.
Margins: HF, 2HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.70, 32.00, 20.00.
Also Ran: Ponntos (Ire), Mgheera (GB), Monteille (GB), Ain't Nobody (Ire), Afjan (Fr), Star Of Lady (GB), Frost At Dawn, Sky Majesty (Ire), Jm Jungle (Ire), First Instinct (GB), Washington Heights (GB), Night Raider (Ire), Rumstar (GB), Against The Wind (GB). Scratched: Megarry (Ire), Rayevka (Ire).
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