Mare overcomes early drama to become the first Australian-trained winner in France.

"The stewards need to see the card physically before she can run. Henry and the vet are out front waiting for the taxi to arrive…" explained the team, as Asfoora strolled round the pre-parade at Longchamp, unaware of the drama unfolding behind the scenes.

It may have been a nervous few hours for trainer Henry Dwyer, but everything fell into place as Asfoora landed Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye, giving Australia a first win in France.

Connections were unsurprisingly concerned when discovering Asfoora's passport was not amongst belongings when arriving at Longchamp for the final five-furlong Group 1 sprint of the European calendar.

"Unfortunately, her passport didn't make its way down from Chantilly for the races today. We were alerted to the problem as soon as we arrived, and her passport is currently in an Uber."

Thankfully, the Uber arrived – in the nick of time.

Asfoora has enjoyed a fruitful return to Europe this season. Although the year didn't start as Henry Dwyer intended, the Australian sprinter could only manage fifth when attempting to record back-to-back wins in the Group 1 King Charles II Stakes at Ascot.

Disappointing at Goodwood, the seven-year-old returned to her brilliant best in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York, recording an easy victory on the Knavesmire and adding another top-level European sprint to her growing haul.

With the ground cited as a reason for her poor performance in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh, the team would have been concerned by the heavy rain which befell Paris across the weekend.

Yet with Oisin Murphy aboard, the rain was not going to stop Asfoora. Always prominent from the early stages, the pair had a further nervous moment at the two-furlong marker, struggling for running room. Once angled out, the seven-year-old responded well and kept on to beat Jawwal by half-a-length with She's Quality back in third.

Murphy said: "They've done a terrific job with her, because at the beginning of the season she wasn't flying.

"I rode her about a week ago on the Rowley Mile, and that's the best she's ever felt. They don't work her very hard. It can be easy to get carried away, but I truly believed she was in the form of her life.

"That sprint track took the rain really well. It was probably good to firm before it arrived, or even faster. The time was two seconds slow. She was able to cruise through the race with a good draw. I got a little bit of space when I needed it and I never really had to get too serious with her. She's truly a star."

Dwyer added: "It means a whole lot, obviously.

"We came over at the start of last year to England. We were trying to chart some new things. A lot of Australian horses come over in the European summer for Royal Ascot but not too many continue the preparation, which is what we wanted to do last year, and we fully intended to go for the 'Abbaye'.

"We just thought she came to the end of it when she ran poorly at York. This year we held her back a little bit and wanted to get her to Ireland and France. The ground didn't go in our favour in Ireland, but she was able to cope with it today.

"I stand to be corrected, but I'm pretty sure that she's the first Australian-trained horse to win in France.

"That was always a real bucket list item, just to do things that hadn't been done before - not to try to be smart or anything. I'm not a massive trainer - I'm not trying to win Championships or Melbourne Cup's, just trying to do something different is what motivates us."