Uber Driver’s Mad Dash Across Paris Saves the Day for Asfoora in Dramatic Prix de l’Abbaye Triumph

In the heart of Paris, where the autumn sun cast a golden hue over the historic Longchamp Racecourse, a tale unfolded that blended high-stakes horse racing with the unlikeliest of heroes: an Uber driver. On October 5, 2025, during the prestigious Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend, Australian mare Asfoora, trained by Henry Dwyer, stormed to victory in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp, securing a purse of €150,000—equivalent to around £165,000. But the path to that glory was anything but straightforward. A frantic, passport-fueled chase through the city’s bustling streets turned what could have been a heartbreaking disqualification into a story of redemption and surprise that left fans roaring in disbelief.

The Prix de l’Abbaye, a five-furlong sprint contested over turf that’s as unforgiving as it is exhilarating, is the ultimate test for speedsters in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. Asfoora, a seven-year-old powerhouse owned by Akram El-Fahkri’s Noor Elaine Farm Pty Ltd, entered the race as the 9-4 favorite. Her credentials were impeccable: a blistering win in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August, where she clocked a record time for a British-trained horse over the straight five furlongs. Jockey Oisin Murphy, no stranger to big-race triumphs, had partnered her to that success, and their chemistry promised fireworks. Yet, as the field paraded before a crowd of 35,000, the Dwyer team faced a nightmare scenario straight out of a thriller novel.

It started with a simple mix-up, the kind that haunts even the most meticulous operations. In the pre-race preparations, Dwyer’s crew had packed the wrong document: the passport for a yearling colt purchased just the day before at the Arqana sales in Deauville. Asfoora’s vital travel papers—essential for proving her identity and eligibility under France Galop’s stringent rules—had been left behind at trainer Amy Murphy’s yard in Chantilly, a picturesque training center about 30 miles north of Paris. With post time looming, the realization hit like a thunderclap. “We were within a minute and a half of not running,” Dwyer later recounted to Racing.com, his voice still laced with the adrenaline of the moment. Disqualification would have shattered dreams, costing not just the race but a coveted automatic berth in the $1 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November.

Panic could have ensued, but Dwyer, a trainer known for his cool head and Aussie grit, sprang into action. He dispatched a trusted assistant to retrieve the passport from Chantilly, but time was the real adversary. The journey, typically a grueling hour through Paris’s notorious traffic—snaking past the Eiffel Tower, weaving through the Champs-Élysées, and dodging the Arc de Triomphe roundabout—seemed impossible in under 60 minutes. Enter Mamadou, the Uber driver who would etch his name into racing folklore. Hailed via the app, Mamadou was briefed on the urgency: a horse’s future hung in the balance. Dwyer slapped down a £200 retainer as incentive, turning the ride into a high-speed mission.

What followed was a dash for the ages. Mamadou, navigating the labyrinthine streets with the precision of a seasoned local, shaved precious minutes off the clock. He blasted through suburbs, zipped along the A1 autoroute, and plunged back into the urban frenzy, all while keeping his passenger apprised via frantic updates. The Uber X bill later revealed a 52-minute sprint that covered roughly 40 kilometers, defying the gridlock that plagues Paris on weekends. As the car screeched to a halt outside Longchamp’s grandstands, the passport was thrust into officials’ hands just moments before the scratch deadline. “It’s just surreal really,” Dwyer admitted. “I’ve driven back and forth from Chantilly to Longchamp four times in the last three days, and it’s never taken me shorter than an hour. He did it in 52 minutes.”

Relief washed over the team as Asfoora was cleared to run. But the drama was far from over. In the paddock, the mare, a sleek bay with a white blaze, exuded calm amid the chaos. Murphy, perched atop her, felt the electric tension in the air—the crowd’s murmurs about the near-miss had spread like wildfire through social media. As the gates clanged open, Asfoora exploded from the stalls, her powerful strides eating up the yielding ground. She dueled fiercely with British challenger Elite Status down the chute, then surged clear in the final furlong, crossing the line in a sharp 56.39 seconds. The victory marked her as the first Australian horse to win the Abbaye since Choisir in 2003, a nod to the mare’s meteoric rise from Melbourne’s provincial tracks to Europe’s elite.

Fans, many of whom had tuned in via global broadcasts reaching over 60 countries, were stunned. Social media erupted with hashtags like #UberSavesTheDay and #AsfooraMiracle, as clips of Dwyer’s post-race interview went viral. “Thank you to the Uber driver!” he exclaimed on camera, holding up a screenshot of the fare. “If he reads this, he’s welcome to join our party tonight!” Mamadou, reached later by French outlet Equidia, downplayed his role with humility: “I just drove like I always do, but faster. For a horse? Why not?” His feat not only saved the day but inspired a wave of tributes, with Uber France even offering him complimentary rides for life.

For Dwyer, the win was bittersweet vindication. He’d shouldered the blame publicly, quipping self-deprecatingly, “It was the silly Australian trainer who didn’t know which passport to bring.” Yet, in the winner’s circle, champagne flowed as Asfoora’s connections celebrated. The prize money, while handsome, paled against the Breeders’ Cup invitation—a shot at history on American soil. Plans for the mare’s future shifted too; she’d been slated for the Tattersalls Sceptre Stakes sale but will now chase further glory under El-Fahkri’s colors.

This episode at Longchamp underscores the razor-thin margins in horse racing, where a forgotten paper or a swift wheel can rewrite destinies. Asfoora’s triumph, born of bureaucratic blunder and blue-collar heroism, reminded the sport’s purists and casuals alike why it’s called the thrill of the track. In a weekend dominated by the Arc’s grandeur, it was a sprint across Paris—fueled by an Uber app—that stole the show, proving once more that in racing, as in life, the most dramatic endings often start with the simplest oversights.