Owen Burrows trainee Alflaila (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is pleasing his trainer in advance of a start in the £600,000 G3 Bahrain International Trophy on Friday, Nov. 18. One of 14 left in the 1 1/4-mile contest, the Shadwell homebred is riding a three-race winning streak coming into the contest, having landed a Pontefract listed race in July. He followed up with the G3 Strensall S. at York a month later, and was last seen running out a 1 1/4-length victor in the G3 Darley S. at Newmarket on Oct. 8.
“I've been really, really pleased with him since Newmarket,” said Burrows. “He has come out of the race well. We've had a couple of quiet weeks with him but are stepping his work up now. He looks great and although we're coming towards the end of the year, he's showing me no signs that he has had a hard season. He's really well.
“We had high hopes for him last year and for whatever reason he didn't run badly, but he didn't fulfill what we thought he was potentially going to be. No disrespect, but he's won two Group 3's now. We hope he'll progress to be Group 2 and then Group 1 level but the race in Bahrain is proper Group 1-level money. There's not many opportunities in a Group 3 to run for this sort of money.”
Burrows is a Group 1-winning trainer, after Shadwell's Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) took the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom in June and he doubled down with Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) taking the G1 Sprint Cup at Haydock later in the summer. It will be his first experience racing in Bahrain.
He said, “It's been quite a year for us with our first runners in Dubai, so I am really looking forward to it. Everybody tells me it is such a good place and there are great training facilities. He's pretty versatile ground-wise. He likes a bit of cut and has won on quick ground, so he should be fine. They tell me the track is a nice, fair, galloping track so we're looking forward to it. Jim Crowley has a good relationship with the horse and is set to ride the horse in Bahrain.”
He added, “I don't see why he won't stay. His last two runs were over 9-furlongs. I think it will probably give him a chance to find his feet and I didn't think he was stopping at Newmarket last time. I'd be surprised if we were blaming the 1 1/4-miles if he gets beat.”
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