'She didn't do a lot wrong last year' - Hills Guineas hope set for course gallop

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 1,000 Guineas by galloping at Newmarket on Wednesday.

The same prep was used by Hills's father Barry for Ghanaati, who landed the 1,000 Guineas in 2009, while the trainer, who helped oversee that schedule, exercised Just The Judge on the Rowley Mile before her Classic second in 2013, which she built on by winning the Irish equivalent.

Two years later Dutch Connection also galloped at Newmarket prior to his respectable seventh in the 2,000 Guineas, and Phoenix Of Spain did the same en route to his Irish 2,000 Guineas triumph in 2019.

Hills has long planned to follow that path with the Shadwell-owned Allayaali, who is a half-sister to Just The Judge.

Her two wins have come over six and a half furlongs and she was last seen finishing second in the Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket in October.

The Lambourn-based Hills, whose contender is a general 33-1 shot, said: "We'll take her for a bit of work up there on Wednesday. The plan is then to run her in the Guineas. 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.

"Taking horses up there has worked, and if it's not broken you don't need to fix it. 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."

Charlie Hills: British Classic on the CV would be most welcomeCredit: Getty Images

Hills, who has made a bright start to 2022 and is operating at a 30 per cent 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 1,000 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 favourite for the 1,000 Guineas, which takes place at Newmarket on May 1.

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