The Betfred Dante Stakes is the feature race at York Racecourse on Thursday in the Dante Festival and there are some exciting runners set to compete for victory in the festival showpiece.
Here is a guide to all the runners lining up in the 3:35pm spectacle on Thursday.
Epictetus (7/2) was impressive on debut at Newmarket when winning at the first attempt and was a commendable second on the same course in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes. Rider and flat racing linchpin Frankie Dettori is chasing his first victory in this race since 2016.
Flying Honours (5/1) claimed his third career victory on his last outing at Newmarket so he’s going to be a strong contender. Rider William Buick has won this race three times since 2013, last winning it in 2021.
Trainer Sir Michael Stoute has had the winner of this race a record seven times and he will be looking for an eighth champion with Passenger (5/1), who claimed victory on his debut at Newmarket last month. Seasoned jockey Oisin Murphy won this race in consecutive years between 2018 and 2019 and his latest ride, The Foxes (6/1), is one he is familiar with after finishing second in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket in April.
Continuous (6/1) won both starts at two years of age, including a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud. It will be interesting to feel how he competes in such an impressive field. Canberra Legend (13/2) is raring to make his third career appearance after winning his first two races at Newcastle and Newmarket.
The John Murphy-trained White Birch (9/1) is the other runner from Ireland and arrives on the back of a Group 3 win in the Ballysax at Leopardstown last month.
Dear My Friend (14/1) claimed his third career victory at Newcastle last month in a field of 11. Three-year-old King Of Steel (25/1), has changed trainer three times since March and it will be interesting to see how he fares having not raced since Doncaster in October. Liberty Lane (28/1) won on his debut at Nottingham back in October, but had to settle for a second-place finish behind Waipiro at Newmarket in April.
Roger Teal-trained Dancing Magic (25/1) is still chasing his first career victory given that his seven runs to date have not been profitable. The closest he came was finishing second behind Naval Power at Haydock last summer. Killybegs Warrior (50/1) has had to settle for third-place finishes on his last two appearances, losing out to Canberra Legend at Newmarket last month.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
