Sky Bet York Stakes report and video replay: Alflaila wins again
By David Ord
18:44 · SAT July 27, 2024
Alflaila registered back-to-back victories in the Sky Bet York Stakes - the first horse to win the Group Two contest twice.
In a race run at a crawl, the 9/4 joint-favourite was settled in the rear by Jim Crowley but he moved onto the slipstream of the leader King's Gambit (5/2) as that rival grabbed the rail to prepare for the sprint for home.
That began in earnest passing the three furlong marker and the long-time leader and eventual runner-up hard-pressed Royal Rhyme who battled for the lead but eventually finished last of the four.
Having fought him off by the furlong pole he had no answer to the winner's sustained charge, Owen Burrows' horse going on to win by a widening half-a-length.
His fellow market leader Passenger shaped with promise in third, the last to begin his run and beaten only a further three-quarters-of-a-length. It later transpired he had suffered an injury during the race.
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The winning trainer had a day to remember this time last year as Hukum won the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot shortly after Alflaila took his York prize.
The trainer said: “He’s an absolute star, he was a big part of the day last year. I was at Ascot so I missed it and it’s great to be here today.
“He’d be better off with a faster pace, probably everything that ran in that race would have been. I thought halfway and two furlongs down that he was going to come and win, then a furlong down I thought ‘oh, hang on a second’. A furlong down he just kicked in, he’s so game. Such an honest horse.
“The manoeuvre on the bend was probably the difference between winning and losing, if they’d have kicked where he was sat I don’t think he’d have got there. That was a great move from Jim.”
Alflaila holds an entry for the Juddmonte International and Burrows said of the possibility of him running on the Knavesmire next month: “I’ll have to have a chat with Sheikha Hissa, but he obviously does love it here. It’s the third time he’s won here so it does suit him, we’ll see what everybody thinks and then make a plan.”
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