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| Staff Writer |
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Owen Burrows’ Alflaila is gearing up to make his comeback at Royal Ascot and has two potential options at the prestigious summer event.
The 5YO son of Dark Angel boasts an impressive record, having secured three Group victories and a Listed prize. Among his achievements are notable wins in the Pomfret Stakes, the Strensall Stakes, and the Darley Stakes in the latter part of 2023. However, his attempt at the Bahrain International Trophy was halted by an injury.
After a period of rehabilitation, Alflaila made a successful return to win the York Stakes and later performed admirably at Group One level, finishing fifth in the Irish Champion Stakes. Following another injury setback, he has been undergoing recovery and is now poised for a return at Royal Ascot.
Alflaila has been entered for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes over a mile and a quarter, while also being considered for the Listed Wolferton Stakes over the same distance.
“He’s on the march so to speak, so I’ve left him in the Prince of Wales’s at Royal Ascot,” said Burrows.
“He did a nice bit of work on Saturday and he’s got a couple of important bits this week, we might go for the Prince of Wales’s or we might lower our sights a bit and go for the Wolferton.
“This will be his first run for quite a while, but hopefully you’ll see him in one of those races.”
Aiming for the prestigious summer event is Alyanaabi, who finished fifth in the 2000 Guineas. This performance has gained significance as the second- and third-placed horses, Rosallion and Haatem, went on to win and place in the Irish version of the race.
Owen Burrows mentioned, “All being well he is going to go for the St James’s Palace, the Guineas form is stacking up pretty strongly. We’ve got a few lengths to make up on the winner, on the second and on the third, to be fair, but we’re on another day and another track."
“It’s different, the old mile, I think it’ll suit him better so we’re rolling the dice and we’re going to go there.”
War Rooms is set to make an appearance at the Royal meeting and has two options to consider for the upcoming race. After finishing third in the Dante at York, trainer Burrows revealed, "He’ll have an entry in the Hampton Court and I left him in the King Edward VII as well. We’ll take a look at both races and speak to the owners to see which is the best option for him – all being well he’ll be there."
Burrows also expressed contentment with the season so far, stating, "We’re very fortunate. I didn’t want to tempt fate but I thought we had a nice few three-year-olds. We’ve had the fifth in the Guineas, third in the Dante, fourth in the Derby, we’re knocking on the door and we could just do with one of them getting their head in front."
The acknowledgment that Royal Ascot may encounter challenges in enticing owners and trainers from countries like Japan and Hong Kong to send their top horses to compete against the European elite in June is quite significant. Although the difference in prize money between these jurisdictions and Britain is not a new revelation, it remains a notable obstacle.
Many enthusiasts who appreciate global championship matchups would have eagerly anticipated the possibility of Hong Kong’s Romantic Warrior and jockey James McDonald competing in either the Queen Anne or the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. The idea of this showdown would have undoubtedly captured the imagination of racing fans worldwide.
Considering the substantial rewards available at Sha Tin, owner Peter Lau and trainer Danny Shum have already demonstrated their adventurous spirit by triumphing in the Cox Plate, Australia’s premier weight-for-age race, last October.