Dante Stakes at York

The Dante Stakes over 10 furlongs at 16.15 CET is the main feature at York today and is course the top race of the meeting. It is also the most reliable Derby trial of all (although it is 8 years since the winner went on to score at Epsom) and more significant than ever this year, following the very inconclusive results of the earlier trials; the field of 8 also includes the 3 current ante-post favourites for the Derby in Jack Hobbs (John Gosden/ Frankie Dettori), John F Kennedy (Aidan O´Brien/ Ryan Moore) and Elm Park (Andrew Balding/ Andrea Atzeni), and the picture is further muddled by the fact that both Gosden and O´Brien have another runner today in Golden Horn (William Buick) and Ol´Man River (Joseph O´Brien) and it is not at all clear which is the main hope. Both of Gosden´s runners are unbeaten in two starts, and while Jack Hobbs -named after a famous cricketer- is shorter in the betting, Golden Horn, who may be aimed at the French Derby, has actually the better form and is also higher rated. Both the O´Brien hopes flopped on their seasonal debut, JFK when last of 3 on bad ground at long odds-on, and Ol´Man River when tailed off in the 2,000 Guineas, but can be expected to do much better today on this better ground. However the one to beat is surely Elm Park, who showed continual improvement last year before he signed off with a good win in the Racing Post Trophy; he is the only runner in today´s field making his seasonal debut, but should not be a worry with the stable in good form, and if he wins today he will almost certainly start a proper favourite at Epsom.

The main supporting feature is the Group Two Middleton Stakes over the same trip for fillies and mares at 15.40 and this has attracted a strong field. One has to wonder why the Group One performers Ribbons (James Fanshawe/ Tom Queally) and Secret Gesture (Ralph Beckett/ Atzeni) have been kept in training. Ribbons easily beat Secret Gesture in last year´s Prix Romanet, but is now 3 lbs worse off, and the latter, runner-up in the Engllsh and German Oaks in 2013, is preferred today on this faster ground. Madame Chiang (David Simcock/ Jim Crowley) is also penalised for winning an Ascot Group One on heavy ground and will find conditions totally different today. Bragging (Sir Michael Stoute/ Ryan Moore), very consistent in lower grade races last year, showed marked improvement to win a similar event at Newmarket last time and, coming from a stable with an excellent record here, is a danger to all.