GREAT credit to the connections of the Australian mare Asfoora (Flying Artie). Last year they won the first edition of the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes, the former King’s Stand Stakes, with her at Royal Ascot, and they doubled her tally of top-flight wins when she blitzed her way to an impressive victory in York’s Nunthorpe Stakes.

Incredibly, while she is a nine-time winner in her native country, her biggest successes there have been at Group 2 level, though she has been in the frame in a couple of Group 1 races. She has won a fine total of £765,000 in prize money down under, but her victories in England have been worth over £900,000.

Asfoora could now extend her time in Europe and make a trip to Ireland for the Group 1 Flying Five on Irish Champions Weekend next month.

Trained by the hugely affable Henry Dwyer, Asfoora is a seven-year-old homebred. The mare, whose name means female bird in Lebanese, races for Akram El-Fahkri, a Melbourne taxi firm boss who races and breeds under the name of Noor Elaine Farm. He and his brother Daniel own the farm.

Asfoora is the better of two winners, the first two foals, for her dam Golden Child, a daughter of the great I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit). Placed once at the age of four, Golden Child is one of eight foals and runners for Predestined (King’s Best), and the only one who did not win. None of the seven winners were placed in a blacktype race, though one of the mares bred Title Fighter (Lean Mean Machine), a listed winner at Flemington.

This was a complete contrast with the siblings of the four-time winner Predestined. That daughter of the stakes-placed dual winner Hard Rider (Maroof) was one of her dozen winning offspring, quite some achievement.

The 12 included Group 3 winner Big Chill (Artie Schiller), and listed winners Hard Stride (Street Sense) and Utah Saints (God’s Own), while Leather’n’lace (Street Cry) was group-placed, and Rough Justice (Wanted) was stakes-placed. The dozen winners were from 14 foals, all but one of which raced.

Best sprinter

Flying Artie, a son of Artie Schiller (El Prado), was the champion three-year-old colt in Australia in 2016-17, and the highest rated sprinter in the world at the same age.

His biggest win came in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Ascot Vale Stakes, while at two he was placed in a pair of Group 1s, the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper. Asfoora is one of two Group 1 winners for Blue Gum Farm’s Flying Artie, who stands this spring at a fee of A$11,000.

His other Group 1 winner is Artorius, successful in both the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes and Group 1 Canterbury Stakes. He travelled to Royal Ascot twice, running third and fourth in the Group 1 Jubilee Stakes, and he also placed in the Group 1 July Cup.

Asfoora was retained to race after she was passed in when offered for sale at the 2020 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale. Golden Child has an unraced three-year-old colt by Dirty Work (Written Tycoon) who was bought by Henry Dywer for $140,000 at Inglis, and she has a yearling filly by Flying Artie, She is due to foal to Flying Artie again in the coming months.

MEMORIES of a well-known and much-loved breeder were recalled with the Group 1 City of York Stakes victory for Never So Brave (No Nay Never). The four-year-old was bred by the late Major Christopher Hanbury at his Triermore Stud in Co Meath, and sold as a yearling from Peter Stanley’s New England Stud for 240,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock.

The choice of New England was because Peter Stanley’s aunt Bridget was married to Hanbury, a most respected figure in the worlds of racing and polo. Born in Co Mayo in 1944, he was involved in equestrian sports from a young age, taking up polo seriously when in the Irish Hussars.

At the age of 30, Hanbury was sent as Equerry to the Sultan of Brunei, who he encouraged to play polo. Together with Bridget, Hanbury owned and operated Triermore Stud, and the farm enjoyed notable successes as breeders, most famously with the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line Of Duty.

Originally trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Never So Brave raced for Saeed Suhail and won two of his eight starts, finishing second three times. Beaten three-parts of a length by Vandeek at two, Never So Brave never fully delivered on that promise with Stoute, and his only attempt at a pattern race during his time with the trainer was to run sixth behind Haatem in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Changed story

A move to Andrew Balding on Stoute’s retirement, and being gelded, has changed the story quite dramatically for Never So Brave. He is now another Group 1 winner of 2025 who will not be going to stud, so we will hopefully see him continue to race and provide a marker for future generations to be measured against.

Beaten a nose on his four-year-old bow for Balding, Never So Brave improved by at least 10lbs to win the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot over seven furlongs. He showed he stayed further when back at Ascot to win the Group 2 Summer Mile last month, and now has won a Group 1 over seven furlongs. He is the ninth Group 1 winner for the 2013 Prix Morny winner No Nay Never (Scat Daddy).

Never So Brave is the sole Group 1 winner this year for his sire, and in winning the City of York Stakes he beat another by the Coolmore stallion, Lake Forest. No Nay Never’s two-year-olds include True Love, the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes winner who was runner-up in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes. Others among his juveniles of note are Group 2 Norfolk Stakes winner Charles Darwin, and the unbeaten US stakes winner Hey Nay Nay.

Best winner

His win at York propels Never So Brave into the position of being the best winner out of Chica Whopa (Oasis Dream). Bred by Ballyhane Stud, Chica Whopa was placed at two for her owner Bill Durkan, trained by David Wachman, and then she moved to England where she won for Richard Hannon. Her first eight foals have all raced and half of them are winners.

Significantly, three of them are stakes winners, the others being Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner Barraquero (Zebedee), and Naas listed winner Pirate Jenny (Exceed And Excel).

Ballyhane’s Joe Foley bred Chica Whopa from the French two-year-old listed winner Just Ice (Polar Falcon), a mare he bought for 47,000gns carrying Never So Brave’s dam. When Foley sold the filly foal, she made a profitable €77,000. Five of Just Ice’s eight runners won, and the best was Jezebel (Owington). She won twice in Italy at two, including a listed race, placed a few times in listed races in England, and she was group-placed in France. At stud, she is dam of the Canadian stakes winner Ancient Goddess (Iffraaj).