Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer going to the well one more time with unbeaten Asfoora in Kevin Hayes Stakes

Unbeaten filly Asfoora has exceeded trainer Henry Dwyer’s expectations and deserves her chance in stakes grade in the Kevin Hayes at Caulfield.

Asfoora and jockey Mitchell Aitken will chase a rich stakes win in Saturday’s $200,000 Kevin Hayes Stakes at Caulfield. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

One last afterthought could lead to an unexpected black type win for Asfoora in Saturday’s Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer just wanted to win a race with the filly when she started her career at Colac late last year.

But Asfoora has forced the trainer to continue raising his sights with impressive wins at all three starts to date.

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“We never really intended having her this deep into her first prep,” Dwyer said.

“It’s all been afterthought after afterthought but she kept doing the job so there was no reason to tip her out for a spell.

“We always liked her and knew she had good ability, but she was a little bit backward physically and a little bit backward mentally.

“She’s come a long way in a short space of time.”

Asfoora ticked off another target when she posted her maiden city win at Caulfield on Australia Day.

Dwyer said the timing of the Kevin Hayes Stakes made it impossible to resist as a test for the daughter of Blue Diamond runner-up Flying Artie.

“She won that (Caulfield) race pretty well so we thought, ‘oh well, the Kevin Hayes Stakes is in two weeks,’ we might as well try our luck there before she went to the paddock,” Dwyer said.

Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer would love his decision to keep Asfoora in work to pay off in Saturday’s Kevin Hayes Stakes. Picture: Getty Images

“We’ve been looking for excuses to tip her out because she will be better with a spell under her belt but the black type lure was too big, especially for a breeder that owns the mare.”

Winning the $200,000 race would be a surprise for those that rejected the filly, passing her in at $30,000 at the Adelaide Magic Millions sales.

Dwyer is happy the owners at Noor Elaine Farm decided to keep the filly to race under his care.

But Saturday’s race will the last of Asfoora’s busy first preparation.

“It would be good to test her in this grade and work out where we’re going from there,” Dwyer said.

“She has a lot of improvement to come, and she has just got a little bit wound up mentally throughout the preparation as well so I wouldn’t want to push the boundaries too much.”

Jockey Mitch Aitken will again ride Asfoora on Saturday after steering the three-year-old to her last two wins.

TAB has Asfoora as a $14 chance to stay unbeaten on Saturday.

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Originally published as Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer going to the well one more time with unbeaten Asfoora in Kevin Hayes Stakes