Allayaali to Follow Path of Half Sister Just The Judge

Charlie Hills is taking inspiration from a tried-and-trusted route as he aims to capture a first British classic with Allayaali , who will step up her preparation for the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1) by galloping at Newmarket on April 13.

The same prep was used by Hills's father, Barry, for Ghanaati, who landed the 2009 One Thousand Guineas, while the trainer, who helped oversee that schedule, exercised Allayaali's half sister Just The Judge (IRE) on the Rowley Mile before her runner-up finish in the 2013 edition of the Guineas, which she later built on by winning the Irish equivalent.

Two years later Dutch Connection also galloped at Newmarket prior to his respectable seventh in the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1), and Phoenix of Spain  did the same en route to his Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) triumph in 2019.

Hills has long planned to follow those similar paths with the Shadwell-owned Allayaali.

"Taking horses up there has worked, and if it's not broken you don't need to fix it," he said. "I'm happy to do it again rather than take in a trial race, especially for a filly as it's early enough in the year and you don't want to necessarily be giving them a hard race."

Her two wins have come over 6 1/2 furlongs and she was last seen finishing second in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes (G3) at Newmarket in October.

"We'll take her for a bit of work up there on Wednesday. The plan is then to run her in the Guineas," The Lambourn-based Hills, whose contender is a general 33-1 shot, said. "She's done really well over the winter and her coat is coming through nicely at the moment. Hopefully it will warm up in the next week as we've had some very cold nights and lots of frosts, but her summer coat is definitely getting there."

Hills, who has made a bright start to 2022 and is operating at a 30% strike rate, added: "The one question mark is whether she'll stay a mile in the Guineas, but you can say that about quite a few of them. 

"She's from the same family as Just The Judge and is becoming more similar to her as she gets older. She didn't do a lot wrong last year. She had that one bad run in the Star Stakes at Sandown, but we had a few reasons for that and she might have been unlucky not to win the Oh So Sharp Stakes.

"After Just The Judge, we might have some unfinished business in the One Thousand Guineas, so hopefully she can give it a good go."

Frankie Dettori's mount Inspiral , trained by John and Thady Gosden for Cheveley Park Stud, is the 11-4 favorite for the May 1 One Thousand Guineas, which takes place at Newmarket.