European Group 2 winner Alflaila to stand at White Robe Lodge
European Group 2 winner Alflaila (Dark Angel) has been secured for stud duties by New Zealand’s White Robe Lodge.
Bred and raced by the renowned Shadwell Estate operation, the son of Dark Angel’s (Acclamation) racing career is highlighted by back-to-back victories in the York Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 2.5f) in the UK.
Trained by Owen Burrows, Alflaila was a winner on debut as a two-year-old and showcased his talent over the next three seasons, winning four of his six starts as a three-year-old, including the Pomfret Stakes (Listed, 1m), Strensall Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 1f) at York, and the Darley Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 1f) at Newmarket.
As a four-year-old, Alflaila secured a memorable victory in the York Stakes, defeating Group 1 performer My Prospero (Iffraaj) and defended that title as a five-year-old after his fast-finishing fourth place in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) at Royal Ascot last June.
“He repeatedly proved he belonged at the top level,” said Burrows. “He was sharp enough to win over six [furlongs] first-time out as a two-year-old and as a three-year-old he never stopped improving. At the end of his three-year-old season he unfortunately picked up an injury in Bahrain.
“He was very resilient and came back to win the York Stakes on resumption, a race which he won again last year in tenacious fashion. He’s a very athletic horse who was tough as well.”
Alflaila is out of the stakes-placed Oasis Dream (Green Desert) mare Adhwaa, a half-sister to the Listed-winning Shaqira (Redoute’s Choice) with the pair being out of the stakes-winning mare Hammiya (Darshaan).
“Marcus Corban has been pivotal in helping us land Alflaila,” said White Robe Lodge’s Jack Stewart.
“He’s a great family friend but also one of the great minds of our industry, and he facilitated David Redvers inspecting the horse on our behalf.
“He provided a glowing review, describing Alflaila as a very attractive, classy individual with a great action and very good conformation.
“As soon as I showed my grandad [Brian ‘BJ’ Anderton] his race performance, pedigree, and photos, he simply said, ‘get it done’.
“BJ stood his first stallion at 18 years old and will be in his 70th year of owning and standing stallions, which speaks volumes of where his judgment has got him over the decades.
“Alflaila embodies what modern breeders seek – raw power, proven speed, an elite pedigree, and a stunning physical type. Being a debut winner as an early two-year-old was key for us in today’s market and also that he trained on to win at Group level at three, four, and five across distances ranging from 1200 to 2100 metres.
“Shadwell Stud has elected to retain a breeding interest in Alflaila, and we are buoyed by the fact Zabeel and Per Incanto are graduates of their successful racing and breeding programme, who have gone on to have a huge impact at stud in New Zealand.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Alflaila to White Robe Lodge.”
Alflaila will stand at an introductory fee of NZ$7,000 (plus GST), with a limited number of lifetime breeding rights available.