Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
The incredible story behind Asfoora's history making victory in France
Connor Scanlon • October 6th, 2025 12:18 pm
Henry Dwyer made history in Paris, becoming the first Australian trainer ever to win a Group 1 in France, taking out the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines with Asfoora.
However, the remarkable achievement almost didn't happen.
In fact, the Longchamp Racecourse stewards were one minute away from scratching the Australian horse.
“I don’t know how much people know about the situation, but we were within one minute of being scratched before the race,” Dwyer told SENTrack and RSN’s Giddy Up.
“Traditionally, the French do things their way and obviously we’re across the fact that if you play in someone else’s sandpit then you play by their rules.
“We turned up to the races without the horse’s passport.
“The on course vet identified her with the photos we sent them, but the stewards were still very adamant that we provide the actual passport before they allow her to run.
“I just laughed, I thought certainly they wouldn’t scratch it. I thought it was ridiculous, then I realised it was pretty serious.
“And obviously this being an hour before the race, it wasn’t overly conducive to her running.”
But where was the passport?
Asfoora’s credentials were back in her stables at Chantilly – just over an hour away from the Longchamp Racecourse.
With the time ticking away Dwyer was left with only one option.
Get an Uber driver to deliver the passport from the Chantilly stable to the track.
“We had to get an Uber from Chantilly,” the Australian trainer revealed.
“One of the girls in the stable at Chantilly ran the passport out to a man in the Uber.
“I’ve done four trips from Chantilly to Longchamp over the last four days, and I’ve never done that in under an hour.
“This bloke did it in 52 minutes.
“Literally the race was at 2:50pm – and this is not an exaggeration – the stewards insisted that by the time the horses present themselves in the mounting yard at 2:35pm, they must have viewed Asfoora’s passport.
“The uber rolled in at 2:34pm.
“You had to see it to believe it.
“I had it written down as being scratched.
“Every good win has a story and that was a story.”
Asfoora went on to win the French Group 1 by 0.5 lengths, etching her and Dwyer’s name into the history books.
From nearly being scratched to making history, what a story!
