Pressure mounts on Henry Dwyer as Asfoora aims to defend King Charles III Stakes title at Royal Ascot

Henry Dwyer’s mare Asfoora has made a 32-hour journey to get to one of the world’s most elite races where a special honour awaits the winner.

Horse trainer Henry Dwyer said the nation’s hopes rest on his shoulders when Australian mare Asfoora attempts to defend the prestigious title – the King Charles III Stakes – at Royal Ascot next week.

The six-year-old mare was victorious in the group 1 race at the one of world’s most elite racing carnivals in the world in 2024 and has spent the past week training at Newmarket in West Suffolk – the headquarters of British racing.

Dwyer knows the pressure is on Asfoora to repeat her stunning performance next Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).

“It makes it a bit more special, it has a few more eyes on you because you are the hope of the nation as they say, so we’d hate to muck it up,” Dwyer said.

“She’s eating, she’s healthy, she’s sound … the ducks are all in a row, if we get her there fit, healthy and sound then she’s going to run one hell of a race”.

Henry Dwyer’s horse, Asfoora, winner of The King Charles III Stakes 2024 is back in the UK to give it another crack. Picture: Nigel Howard / Nigel Howard Media

The 41-year-old Ballarat trainer said while “confidence levels are high” for victory in the 1000m race that boasts a total prize money of £650,000 (A$1.34m), he was considering applying blinkers to enhance her performance.

He said the picturesque British racing hub, 100km northeast of London, was the perfect location for preparation.

“She showed that she was up to the challenge last year and she seems to have travelled really well … there’s no reason she won’t run well,” Dwyer said.

“(Newmarket’s) an amazing place, not necessarily for the racing but for the training grounds, there’s thousands and thousands of acres of grass which is a luxury to us in Australia.

“It’s an eye opener, it’s a luxury, it’s a real honour to be able to train a horse here and I think most Australian trainers would cut off their right arm to be here and prepare a horse”.

Asfoora made the lengthy 32-hour journey in the air to get to the UK, travelling from Ballarat to Sydney by road then flying to London with stopovers in Hong Kong and Doha before touching down in Newmarket on May 31.

King Charles III speaks with Henry Dwyer on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meeting last year. Picture: AFP

When Asfoora won the King Charles III Stakes in 2024 Dwyer said he had the privilege of meeting the King and Queen Camilla and had a “good chin wag” with them, describing it as a “great life experience”.

“We compared notes and patted ourselves on the back and all the rest of it, it was a great bit of fun,” Dwyer said this week.

“They were very lovely and incredibly relaxed, probably not what you expected of the King and Queen, they were very down to earth”.

Asfoora will look to defend its title next week. Picture: Nigel Howard / Nigel Howard Media

Adelaide strapper Chenelle Ellis, 33, who has been working closely with Asfoora ahead of Royal Ascot, said she grew up with horses and to be victorious at the carnival was undoubtedly the highlight of her career.

“It’s something as a little girl I would have dreamed of,” she said.

“With a horse like Asfoora, she’s a little bit quirky and with age she is starting to settle down, the amount of trust Henry has had with me in her is very special.

“She’s going well and hopefully she can do the same as last year”.

Originally published as Pressure mounts on Henry Dwyer as Asfoora aims to defend King Charles III Stakes title at Royal Ascot