The Owen Burrows-trained Alflaila will make his eagerly anticipated return in the Group 2 York Stakes on 29 July.

The Dark Angel colt improved dramatically through his three-year-old campaign, flourishing at the back end of the season when recording three-straight victories at Listed and Group 3 level. Following a solid second in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket, he won the Listed Pomfret Stakes at Pontefract before an impressive two-and-a-quarter length success in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes when running over nine furlongs for the first time.

Alflaila started favourite for his final run of the season in the Group 3 Darley Stakes and justified market support when beating Godolphin's Ottoman Fleet in comfortable fashion. A step up to ten furlongs may be the limit of the four-year-old's stamina, but it is not beyond his capabilities – he hails from a family of eight to ten-furlong Black Type performers.

"He will run in the Group 3 at York on Saturday week. He was injured in Bahrain a few days before he was due to run," said Owen Burrows.

"He has had his rehab back at Shadwell and touch wood it has all gone well.

"We have had plenty of time to prepare him and there was the Listed race at Newbury on Saturday or this race, and we'd have had a penalty in the Listed race, so we thought we'd have a punt and see how he fared in the Group 2.

"He won the Strensall at York, so he is a track winner, and it would be nice to get him back on the track."