Posted as the $8 pick with betting apps, its Asfoora who’s looking to be Australia’s sixth Royal Ascot sprinting success, with victory in the King Charles III Stakes on Tuesday.

In joining Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast and Nature Strip in 2022, the 5yo mare will be the sixth Australian winner of this five-furlong event, run before the King’s Stand Stakes

A dual Group 2 winner of the Schillaci Stakes and Caulfield Sprint, Asfoora is coming off a good fourth in the Temple Stakes at Haydock when joint-race favourite for Victorian trainer Henry Dwyer.

Earlier a ¾ length fourth in The Galaxy at Rosehill before travelling to Britain, Henry Dwyer said “Asfoora got here five weeks before the Temple Stakes, so she’s been here over two months.”

“We came earlier to avoid the changing of the seasons, for in Australia we’re going into winter and you are coming out here, so staying longer she would have started growing a winter coat.”

“It’s given her a chance to season and settle-in as we had the idea 14, 16 months ago when winning 1000m races at Caulfield, as we knew in Australia we were limited to a few short sprints.”

“All our good sprints in Australia are six furlongs and she just does not get that, as she is a dyed in the wool five-furlong horse and there is a good series of sprint races over here in Britain.”

“We took her to Perth in Australia, which is a four-hour flight from Melbourne to give her the experience of traveling which she took it in her stride and gave us confidence to come here.”

With Asfoora being the equal-third favourite with Highclere Racing’s Achilles Stakes winner Believing, its Michael Appleby’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Juvenile Turf winner Big Eve who is $3 favourite with Ladbrokes.

Now in the hands of three times British champion jockey Oisin Murph, and sporting the blue with black stripes of owner-breeder Noor Elaine Farm, Asfoora is by the top sprinting sire Flying Artie.

“If you take Big Evs out of the equation, as he is clearly the one to beat, the rest look evenly matched and have finished in bunches in races like the Palace House Stakes and the Temple Stakes.”

“The Greenlands and Duke of York Stakes were the same with a different winner each time, and as there is no stand-out and they are all pretty evenly matched with who gets the right run.”

“Oisin Murphy galloped her and is looking forward to riding her, while Mitch Aitken, who rode her at Haydock, has been her regular rider at home and it good to get feedback how she felt.”

In launching Royal Ascot 2024 it was His Majesty Representative Sir Edward Brooke, who announced that the King Charles III Stakes, formerly the King’s Stand Stakes, that has been renamed.

While the King Charles III Stakes represents that no Group One race will be run for less than £650,000, it’s now prize money from £16.8 million to £17.5 million over the 35-race Royal Ascot card.

Again, their Majesties The King and Queen will attend all five days of Royal Ascot, that 2023 had Desert Hero win the King George V Stakes and now the 200th year of the Royal Procession.

Back on track the Sandringham Stakes contender Kitty Rose is set to be only second Australian-trained runner in a Royal Ascot handicap, after Café Society ran in the 2014 Wolferton Handicap.

Now with for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr, following a promising career in Ireland for Natalia Lupini which was a last start Group 3, and a Leopardstown listed 2yo event last year.

A 20,000 Gns Tattersalls 2022 October Yearling Sale buy, she’s by the good sprinting sire Invincible Army, being the family of Factor This, Victoire Pisa, from the winning Choisir mare Varnish.

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