diff --git a/.idea/dictionaries/kimchy.xml b/.idea/dictionaries/kimchy.xml
index f6c2978fbcd..5dfc0237f8a 100644
--- a/.idea/dictionaries/kimchy.xml
+++ b/.idea/dictionaries/kimchy.xml
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@
       <w>reparse</w>
       <w>retrans</w>
       <w>retval</w>
+      <w>routings</w>
       <w>rsts</w>
       <w>sbuf</w>
       <w>searchable</w>
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/RoutingNodes.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/RoutingNodes.java
index be291aa6d56..386bed7c515 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/RoutingNodes.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/RoutingNodes.java
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ public class RoutingNodes implements Iterable<RoutingNode> {
         return nodesToShards.get(nodeId);
     }
 
-    public MutableShardRouting findPrimaryForReplica(MutableShardRouting shard) {
+    public MutableShardRouting findPrimaryForReplica(ShardRouting shard) {
         assert !shard.primary();
         for (RoutingNode routingNode : nodesToShards.values()) {
             for (MutableShardRouting shardRouting : routingNode) {
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/NodeAllocations.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/NodeAllocations.java
index 91101bbcde3..5d7f8d4133c 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/NodeAllocations.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/NodeAllocations.java
@@ -40,8 +40,9 @@ public class NodeAllocations extends AbstractComponent implements NodeAllocation
 
     public NodeAllocations(Settings settings) {
         this(settings, ImmutableSet.<NodeAllocation>builder()
-                .add(new SameShardNodeAllocation(settings)
-                ).build()
+                .add(new SameShardNodeAllocation(settings))
+                .add(new ReplicaAfterPrimaryActiveNodeAllocation(settings))
+                .build()
         );
     }
 
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/PreferUnallocatedShardUnassignedStrategy.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/PreferUnallocatedShardUnassignedStrategy.java
index 7cba4c0e79a..2dbc5cd64f5 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/PreferUnallocatedShardUnassignedStrategy.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/PreferUnallocatedShardUnassignedStrategy.java
@@ -105,14 +105,6 @@ public class PreferUnallocatedShardUnassignedStrategy extends AbstractComponent
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if (!shard.primary()) {
-                // if its a backup, only allocate it if the primary is active
-                MutableShardRouting primary = routingNodes.findPrimaryForReplica(shard);
-                if (primary == null || !primary.active()) {
-                    continue;
-                }
-            }
-
             TransportNodesListShardStoreMetaData.NodesStoreFilesMetaData nodesStoreFilesMetaData = transportNodesListShardStoreMetaData.list(shard.shardId(), false, nodes.dataNodes().keySet()).actionGet();
 
             if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
@@ -152,6 +144,7 @@ public class PreferUnallocatedShardUnassignedStrategy extends AbstractComponent
                 if (!nodeAllocations.canAllocate(shard, node, routingNodes).allocate()) {
                     continue;
                 }
+
                 // if it is already allocated, we can't assign to it...
                 if (storeFilesMetaData.allocated()) {
                     continue;
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ReplicaAfterPrimaryActiveNodeAllocation.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ReplicaAfterPrimaryActiveNodeAllocation.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..28f95413e27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ReplicaAfterPrimaryActiveNodeAllocation.java
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elastic Search and Shay Banon under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership. Elastic Search licenses this
+ * file to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.allocation;
+
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.MutableShardRouting;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.RoutingNode;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.RoutingNodes;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardRouting;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.component.AbstractComponent;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.Inject;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
+
+/**
+ * An allocation strategy that only allows for a replica to be allocated when the primary is active.
+ *
+ * @author kimchy (shay.banon)
+ */
+public class ReplicaAfterPrimaryActiveNodeAllocation extends AbstractComponent implements NodeAllocation {
+
+    @Inject public ReplicaAfterPrimaryActiveNodeAllocation(Settings settings) {
+        super(settings);
+    }
+
+    @Override public Decision canAllocate(ShardRouting shardRouting, RoutingNode node, RoutingNodes routingNodes) {
+        if (shardRouting.primary()) {
+            return Decision.ALLOWED;
+        }
+        MutableShardRouting primary = routingNodes.findPrimaryForReplica(shardRouting);
+        if (primary == null || !primary.active()) {
+            return Decision.DISALLOWED;
+        }
+        return Decision.ALLOWED;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ShardsAllocation.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ShardsAllocation.java
index 1aa1ebe2a06..b8c247cb127 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ShardsAllocation.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/routing/allocation/ShardsAllocation.java
@@ -239,14 +239,6 @@ public class ShardsAllocation extends AbstractComponent {
 
         while (unassignedIterator.hasNext()) {
             MutableShardRouting shard = unassignedIterator.next();
-            // if its a replica, only allocate it if the primary is active
-            if (!shard.primary()) {
-                MutableShardRouting primary = routingNodes.findPrimaryForReplica(shard);
-                if (primary == null || !primary.active()) {
-                    continue;
-                }
-            }
-
             // do the allocation, finding the least "busy" node
             for (int i = 0; i < nodes.size(); i++) {
                 RoutingNode node = nodes.get(lastNode);
@@ -272,13 +264,6 @@ public class ShardsAllocation extends AbstractComponent {
         // allocate all the unassigned shards above the average per node.
         for (Iterator<MutableShardRouting> it = routingNodes.unassigned().iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
             MutableShardRouting shard = it.next();
-            // if its a backup, only allocate it if the primary is active
-            if (!shard.primary()) {
-                MutableShardRouting primary = routingNodes.findPrimaryForReplica(shard);
-                if (primary == null || !primary.active()) {
-                    continue;
-                }
-            }
             // go over the nodes and try and allocate the remaining ones
             for (RoutingNode routingNode : routingNodes.sortedNodesLeastToHigh()) {
                 if (nodeAllocations.canAllocate(shard, routingNode, routingNodes).allocate()) {