In today's Straight Shorts, we have the latest on Asfoora's Royal Ascot bid, Kitchwin Hills keeps Graff service unchanged, Skybird to target Flemington sprints, winners keep flowing for jockey Lucy Fiore.

asfoora
Australian sprinter Asfoora is chasing back-to-back wins in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Asfoora strongly fancied to claim successive King Charles III wins

UK bookmakers have Asfoora vying for favouritism to secure her second King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Australian star, who has drawn a middle barrier, has been priced at a best quote of 9/2 to share the top line of betting with Believing, a Ryan Moore mount who will start from the rails barrier in a field of 23 runners.

Believing is a last-start winner of the Al Quoz Sprint at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan in April.

Asfoora saluted as a 5/1 chance last year under Oisin Murphy at her second start in the UK.

She hasn’t had the luxury of a lead-up this time but trainer Henry Dwyer said that can’t be used as an excuse if she is beaten.

“We were worried about the quick turnaround from travel to racing but we can't do much about that,” he told Racing.com.

“She certainly could not have done any more since she has been here. She couldn't have been better, she's just improving day by day.”

Leading jockey James McDonald will add further Down Under interest to the Group 1 race over 1000m when he rides the 40/1 chance Aesterius for Wathnan Racing.

The King Charles III will be run on Tuesday at 12.40am (AEST).

Graff to stand for $9900

Kitchwin Hills will keep Graff’s service fee at an unchanged $9900 (inc GST) in 2025.

The Hunter Valley stud-based Graff, a son of Star Witness, has made a promising start to his stud career with four first crop two-year-old winners.

Grafterburners, a Group 2 placegetter, and Saturday’s Listed Oxlade Stakes-placed filly Royal Chic have enhanced the Group 2 winner’s reputation. 

Graff has 61 yearlings and 34 weanlings on the ground and he can be expected to cover more than the 27 mares he did in 2024.

Straight course likely for comeback sprinter Skybird

Skybird is back in work after recovering from a muscle injury suffered during her Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes victory in February.

The Mitch Freedman-trained rising five-year-old mare, who was beaten just 3.93 lengths in the Golden Eagle last spring, is likely to target Flemington sprints next campaign, culminating in the Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint on the final day of the four-day carnival.

"We haven't made a plan that is set in concrete, but we are looking towards the Champions Sprint at Flemington," Freedman told Racing.com. 

"She handles the straight really well and she has shown she is up to that level.

"We could potentially keep her to Flemington and run her in the two straight races leading into it, being the Bobbie Lewis and Gilgai (Stakes), or go to The Valley for some other big sprint races."

Four-timer for Fiore has her climbing premiership table

In-form West Australian rider Lucy Fiore has moved to third in the Australian jockeys' premiership after five winners at the weekend.

Fiore rode four winners at the metropolitan Bunbury meeting on Saturday and backed it up with another winner at Kalgoorlie on Sunday, taking her seasonal tally of winners to 123.5, half a win in front of fellow West Australian jockey Chris Parnham.

Blake Shinn, who is injured, leads the national premiership with 150 winners, while William Pike is second with 140.5 winners so far in 2024-25.

“I cannot complain, it’s been going absolutely super,” Fiore said on Tabradio.

“The whole season I’ve been getting a lot of support. A lot of nice horses for a lot of nice trainers.

“It’s been a very enjoyable season.”

War Machine pitched as Everest support runner for Hayes family

An Everest showdown with their father’s Hong Kong star Ka Ying Rising is at the forefront of the Hayes brothers’ spring plans for War Machine.

War Machine completed an ascension to the elite level of Australian racing with his win in the Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday.

And now co-trainer Will Hayes says the Lindsay Park team will be doing everything they can to ensure War Machine gives the family two $20 million Everest runners.

“It’s hard not to (think about the Everest) … there’s 20 million reasons,” he told Melbourne radio station RSN.

“His progress has just been insane over the past two months. He’s just gone from strength to strength.”

Ka Ying Rising, who has been booked from the Hong Kong Jockey Club slot leased from the Australian Turf Club, is an odds-on Everest favourite with War Machine at $21.

RQ continues Go West jockeys’ subsidy

Racing Queensland will continue to provide jockeys access to its Go West subsidy scheme until the end of November.

Earlier this year, RQ announced further enhancements to the Go West subsidy scheme, which offsets costs for riders flying to the region from other parts of Queensland.

Those amendments, which were initially in place until July 1, have been extended to November 30. The scheme subsidises up to four flights (to a maximum of $800 each) to each non-TAB and TAB race meeting in the North West region. Venues include Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Julia Creek, Richmond, Hughenden, Corfield, Stamford, McKinlay and Winton.

To be eligible for the subsidy, a jockey must have a minimum of three rides confirmed for the race meeting at jockey declarations. There is no capped limit on the number of race meetings that a jockey can register and be subsequently approved for the travel subsidy.

RQ will advise trainers on the availability of jockeys before declarations for the respective race meeting via text message.  

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