OWEN BURROWS is set for probably the biggest day of his career so far on Saturday, when Alflaila is scheduled to contest the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes at York less than half an hour before Hukum lines up in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.

Burrows, who trains at Farncombe Down Stables in Lambourn, sends four-year-old Alflaila back to the Knavesmire where he won the nine-furlong Group 3 Sky Bet and Symphony Group Strensall Stakes last August.

The Shadwell Estate-owned colt followed up with another Group 3 success at Newmarket in October but this weekend’s £125,000 assignment (3.15pm) at York will be his first race in almost 300 days.

Burrows explained: “After Newmarket, he was out in Bahrain to run in the Bahrain Trophy and unfortunately picked up an injury over there – I think it was three days before the race – just doing a routine canter. He’s rehabbed back at Shadwell and touch wood everything’s gone very smoothly with the rehab.

“He came back to me a while back now. I’ve had a nice bit of time to just bring him on gradually. There was a Listed mile and a quarter race last week at Newbury but he’d have carried a penalty there. He’s a course winner at York. I know it’s an extra furlong, but he certainly wasn’t stopping when he hit the line in the Strensall, so we thought we’d have a pop at this Group 2 and see where we are.”

The surface is very likely to ride on the soft side, but Burrows said: “I’m not too concerned ground-wise. If it was heavy, it’s a bit of a worry to start them back after a long break. But he won his Listed race at Pontefract last year on easy side of good, near enough good-to-soft. I think (York’s) forecast reasonably dry now. I’d like to think it will nearly dry back to good-to-soft for race-day.”

Alflaila is also entered in the richest race of the York season, the £1 million Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes, which will be staged  on Wednesday 23 August.

And Burrows said: “We’ll learn a lot more Saturday. If he wins or if he even runs well, then we could certainly have a look at the Juddmonte.”

The dust will barely have settled on the Sky Bet York Stakes and Burrows will be hoping for Group 1 glory with Hukum (3.40pm).

He said: “This is why we do it, for days like this. We’ve been very fortunate to win some Group 1s since I’ve been training, but nothing quite as prestigious as the King George. It’s always been a race I’ve been very fond of and if we could add our name to the roll of honour, it would be amazing.

“We’ve got a big hour, because I run what I think is a nice two-year-old (Alyanaabi) in the Listed race at Ascot. From 3.15 to 4.15, as I say, it’s a big hour for us.”

York Racecourse begins its Music Showcase Weekend on Friday night. The seven-race card that starts at 5pm, will be followed by a concert by The Human League. Saturday’s racing highlight is the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes. After the action on the track, attention will turn to the big stage where singer Craig David will be performing. Both days form part of the week-long Go Racing in Yorkshire Summer Festival.