Asfoora owner Akram El-Fahkri reflects on Royal Ascot experience and meeting King Charles III
Group 1 star Asfoora races again in the UK this week and her owner has revealed how the mare’s Royal Ascot triumph provided a magic moment for a village in northern Lebanon.
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Royal Ascot has had countless colourful and quirky and life-shaping moments, but never before has it stopped a village in the north of Lebanon.
Victorian sprinting mare Asfoora’s triumph in the Group 1 King Charles III in June was a “fairytale, a Cinderella story” according to her owner Akram El-Fahkri.
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El-Fahkri, who operates a taxi service in Melbourne among his business interests, was born and bred in Australia but has family roots in Lebanon where his ancestors were hardworking farmers.
The village of Bsharri and its 24,000 or so residents were rocking when Henry Dwyer-trained Asfoora saluted in front of the King at Royal Ascot.
“Bsharri is a village in the north of Lebanon and this was a very big deal for them,” El-Fahkri told Racenet.
“If I could describe it this way, all the neighbours were knocking on each other’s doors telling everyone about this marvellous feat of this horse winning at Royal Ascot.
“It was a fairytale, a Cinderella story.
“I’m not a traveller. I live in Northcote in Melbourne and my office is in Brunswick and that’s about the scope of my travels.
“The fact that I went to England, you can gauge from that there was a level of confidence.
“Henry Dwyer has made my family part of racing folklore in Australia.”
Asfoora’s European odyssey continues this week when she lines up as the $2.90 favourite in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York in the early hours of Saturday morning (Australian time).
Akram El-Fahkri won’t be there this time – brother Daniel will be trackside at York to watch the mighty mare.
One for Australia! 🇦🇺 Asfoora wins the King Charles III Stakes at Royal @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/QmVXaTLF2A
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 18, 2024
Akram El-Fahkri still shakes his head at the Royal Ascot experience which included having a private chinwag with King Charles, who earlier this year was diagnosed with a form of cancer.
“We spent perhaps about five minutes with the King and he’s a decent man,” El-Fahkri said.
“We spoke about his health and some general horse matters.
“Henry Dwyer deserves all the credit as he pushed for Asfoora to go overseas when my brother Daniel and I were relatively reluctant.
“For her to warrant going, we thought she would have to win either the Oakleigh Plate or The Galaxy.
“She had bad luck in both.
“Her form was good enough to go over, but it’s a costly exercise and that’s why I was reluctant.
“But I couldn’t say no to Henry.”
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El-Fahkri revealed that he has considered bringing Asfoora back to Australia soon after her Royal Ascot heroics.
But Dwyer was convinced there were some more big fish to fry.
It continues an extraordinary story considering Asfoora failed to meet her $30,000 reserve when she was offered by Akram and his family at the 2020 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
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Akram retained the filly to race and now that offers are coming in to buy her, he said she is not for sale.
Unless it’s for huge cash.
“She is not for sale, she adds value to our farm and I want to keep her,” El-Fahkri said.
“The secondary reason is sentimental, my family would tear strips off me if I sold her.
“Ultimately though I am a businessman, she is not for sale for a fair price.
“But if someone put a very good price on the table, I would have to have a serious look at it.
“It was pure luck we kept her in the first place.
“We took 11 yearlings to the Adelaide Magic Millions Sale and 10 of them sold and Asfoora didn’t and she came home.”
El-Fahkri said the world could still be Asfoora’s oyster after the Group 1 race at York.
“There is some talk of perhaps a Group 1 in France, Henry Dwyer is also toying with a race in Ireland and or perhaps even a Breeders’ Cup race in America,” he said.
Originally published as Asfoora owner Akram El-Fahkri reflects on Royal Ascot experience and meeting King Charles III
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