York Dante Festival: Race List & Meeting Info
The flat racing festivals continue to come thick and fast as we head into the summer months. Hot on the heels of the excellent Chester May Meeting, action moves north to the Knavesmire track at York for the Dante Festival.
With three cracking days of action to look forward to, at the track which is regularly voted the best in the country in terms of race day experience and facilities, this is always one of the most eagerly anticipated early to mid-season events.
Headlined by the key Derby trial of the festival’s title, we have a total of 21 races to sink our teeth into over the three days, including five Group class events and a feast of handicap puzzles to solve.
Day One Races - Musidora Stakes
| Race | Grade | Length | Prize Money | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorvik Handicap | Class 2 | 1m4f | £50,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Infinity Tyres Handicap | Class 2 | 6f | £30,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Duke Of York Stakes | Group 2 | 6f | £125,000 | 3 Years Old + |
| Musidora Stakes | Group 3 | 1m2½f | £100,000 | 3 Year Old Fillies |
| Handicap | Class 3 | 7f | £20,000 | 3 Years Old |
| EBF Novices Stakes | Class 3 | 5f | £20,000 | 2 Years Old (EBF Eligible) |
| Handicap | Class 4 | 1m4f | £21,061 | 4 Years Old + |
Jorvik Handicap
Class 2, 1m4f
At the time of writing, the Jorvik Handicap is sponsored by Sky Bet as part of the ‘Race to the Ebor’ set of races. It’s open to horses aged four and over and is run over one mile, three furlongs and one hundred and eighty-eight yards. A Class 2 event, it boasts prize money of more than £30,000 and when the Going is Good to Firm the race lasts for about two and a half minutes.
Infinity Tyres Handicap
Class 2, 6f
Another Class 2 even, the second race of Day One is currently sponsored by Infinity Tyres. Run over six furlongs, the race tends to last for about a minute and ten seconds when the Going so Good to Firm. Open to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 105, the prize money stands at in excess of £18,600.
Duke Of York Stakes
Group 2, 6f
A race with the same name was first run at the August meeting at York in 1895, named in honour of Prince George who would later become King George V. That was a middle-distance race and was open to three-year-olds. Another race with a similar title was created at the May Meeting in 1950, being a handicap race and continuing until the middle of the 1960s.
The current version of the race was formed in 1968 as a six-furlongs conditions event. When the current system of grading came into effect three years later it was given Group 3 status, being upgraded to Group 2 in 2003. Typically run the day before the Dante Stakes, the Duke of York Stakes has only been won more than once by Handsome Sailor in 1987 and 1988.
The race is run on the straight over six furlongs and is open to horses aged three and over. The following weights apply:
- 3-year-olds: 8 stone 13 pounds
- 4-year-olds and over: 9 stone 8 pounds
- Fillies & mares get an allowance of 3 pounds
- Group 1 race winners receive a 5 pound penalty
- Group 2 race winners receive a 3 pound penalty
Musidora Stakes
Group 3, 1m2½f
Another race named after a racehorse, this time Musidora. As with Dante, Musidora was trained in Yorkshire and went on to win both the 1000 Guineas and the Epsom Oaks in 1949. The race was created in 1961 and is considered to be a trial for the Oaks. When the grading for races used today was introduced in 1971 the Musidora Stakes was considered to be a Group 3 offering and it has remained so ever since.
At the time of writing six different horses have gone on to win the Oaks after being successful in this race, with the first to do so being Noblesse in 1963. It can also offer information on races other than the Oaks, with Star of Seville winning it in 2015 before going on to win the French equivalent of the Oaks, the the Prix de Diane.
The race is open to three-year-old fillies and has a weight of nine stone. Penalties of four pounds are given to horses that have won Group 1 or Group 2 races. The contest is raced left-handed over one mile, two furlongs and fifty-six yards, there was a purse of £100,000 available for it in 2019.
Handicap
Class 3, 7f
The sponsorship duties for this handicap race are normally given over to local businesses, so there’s a different name attached virtually every time it’s run. It takes place over seven furlongs, with the race itself being limited to three-year-olds with a rating of between 0 and 95. The winner will take home more than £12,000 from an overall pot of around £20,000.
EBF Novices Stakes
Class 3, 5f
The penultimate race of Day One of the meeting is run in association with the British Stallion Studs European Breeders Fund and takes place over a distance of five furlongs. It’s limited to two-year-olds, given its for novices, and the winner receives more than £12,000 in prize money. When the Going is Good to Firm, you can expect this race to last for about a minute.
Handicap
Class 4, 1m4f
Day One of the Dante Festival at York Racecourse comes to a close with another handicap event, currently sponsored by the Lindum Construction Group. A Class 4 event, it is run over one mile, three furlongs and one hundred and eighty-eight yards. It’s open to horses aged four and over, with the participants required to have a rating of between 0 and 85.
Day Two Races - Dante Stakes
| Race | Grade | Length | Prize Money | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handicap | Class 2 | 5f | £30,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Middleton Fillies' Stakes | Group 2 | 1m2½f | £125,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Dante Stakes | Group 2 | 1m2½f | £165,000 | 3 Years Old |
| Hambleton Handicap | Class 2 | 1m | £50,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| EBF Westow Stakes | Listed | 5f | £50,000 | 3 Years Old (EBF Eligible) |
| Maiden Stakes | Class 2 | 6f | £20,000 | 2 Years Old (EBF Eligible) |
| Investec Handicap | Class 3 | 2m½f | £20,000 | 4 Years Old + |
Handicap
Class 2, 5f
As with many of the less-noteworthy races at meetings up and down the country, this one changes sponsor fairly regularly. At the time of writing the honour goes to the Matchbook Betting Exchange, who sponsor this Class 2 race that is run over five furlongs. It is for horses aged four and over that have a rating of between 0 and 105, with the winner taking home over £18,000.
Middleton Fillies' Stakes
Group 2, 1m2½f
Open to fillies and mares aged four and over, this race is run left-handed over one mile, two furlongs and fifty-six furlongs. The weight information on this one is nine stone, with Group 1 race winners receiving a penalty of three pounds. No horse has ever won the race more than once, though both Pat Eddery and Walter Winburn won it four times apiece during their careers as jockeys.
The race was established in 1981 when it was restricted to fillies aged three. This version of the race was first run in 1997 and was a Listed offering until 2004 when it moved to Group 3. In 2010 it was promoted again to become a Group 2 offering and has remained as such since.
Dante Stakes
Group 2, 1m2½f
Let’s start by looking at the race that the meeting itself is named after, the Dante Stakes. Named in honour of the horse of the same name that was trained in Yorkshire and won the version of the Derby that was run at Newmarket in 1945, the race was run for the first time in 1958. As you might imagine, the race serves as a good trial for the Derby itself, so it’s worth bearing that in mind when you watch it.
The Dante Stakes was a Group 3 offering when the racing grade system was introduced in 1971, moving to Group 2 nine years later. The first horse to win the Dante Stakes and then go on to win the Derby later in the season was St. Paddy in 1960, with another nine achieving the same feat between then and 2015. Even those that don’t win the Derby do well in similar races, such as the Prix du Jockey-Club in France and the Irish Derby.
Run left-handed over one mile, two furlongs and fifty-six yards, the race is open to three-year-olds and has weight information of nine stone. Fillies get an allowance of three pounds but winners of Group 1 races get a three pound penalty. The race’s most successful jockey is Pat Eddery with six wins between 1981 and 1993. His final win came on Tenby, which was trained by the race’s most successful trainer, Sir Henry Cecil.
Hambleton Handicap
Class 2, 1m
Coming in the wake of the race that the entire meeting is named in honour of is another handicap event that is sponsored by Matchbook Betting. This time they’re getting behind a Class 2 race for horses aged four and over. The race is run over seven furlongs and one hundred and ninety-two yards, with more £30,000 on offer to the eventual winner.
EBF Westow Stakes
Listed, 5f
A Listed race that is run in association with the British Stallion Studs European Breeders’ Fund, the Westow Stakes is run over five furlongs. That means that when the Going is Good to Firm it will take the horses about a minute to hit the finish line. Open to horses aged three, the winner will take home more than £28,000 in prize money for this Class 1 race.
Maiden Stakes
Class 2, 6f
The penultimate race of Day Two of York’s Dante Festival is for maiden horses aged two. Sponsored by Stratford Place Stud Breeds Group Winners at the time of writing, it is run over six furlongs. That means that it lasts for about a minute and ten seconds when the Going is Good to Firm. The winner receives over £12,000 in prize money for winning this Class 2 event.
Investec Handicap
Class 3, 2m½f
Currently sponsored by Investec, the final race of Day Two is a Class 3 event that is run over two miles and fifty-six yards. It is for horses aged four and over that have a rating of between 0 and 90. The prize money for the winner stands at in excess of £12,000, whilst the race itself can be expected to last about three and a half minutes if the Going is Good to Firm.
Day Three Races - Yorkshire Cup
| Race | Grade | Length | Prize Money | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBF Marygate Fillies' Stakes | Listed | 5f | £50,000 | 2 Year Old Fillies (EBF Eligible) |
| Fillies' Stakes | Listed | 1m | £50,000 | 3 Year Old Fillies |
| Yorkshire Cup Stakes | Group 2 | 1m6f | £165,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Handicap | Class 2 | 1m2½f | £30,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Fillies' Handicap | Class 3 | 7f | £20,000 | 3 Years Old + (Fillies & Mares) |
| Handicap | Class 3 | 5f | £20,000 | 3 Years Old |
| Longines Handicap | Class 4 | 1m4f | £21,061 | 3 Years Old |
EBF Marygate Fillies' Stakes
Listed, 5f
Run in association with the British European Breeders’ Fund and currently sponsored by Langleys Solicitors, the first race of Day Three of the Dante Festival at York takes place over five furlongs. It’s for female horses aged two and is a Class 1 Listed event. The prize money on offer for the winner is more than £28,000, with the race lasting for a minute when the Going is Good to Firm.
Fillies' Stakes
Listed, 1m
Another Class 1 Listed event that is for female horses, this one is open to those aged three. It’s run over seven furlongs and one hundred and ninety-two yards and is currently run in association with Oaks Farm Stables. In 2019 it was run as the Michael Seeley Memorial race and lasted for just shy of one minute and forty seconds on Good to Firm ground.
Yorkshire Cup Stakes
Group 2, 1m6f
A race with the same name began life as a weight-for-age offering, but it was revived in 1927 as a handicap race when it was raced over two miles. It wasn’t run between 1940 and 1944, with an alternative named the Yorkshire Autumn Cup replacing it in 1945. When it returned after the Second World War it did so as a conditions race before briefly running as a handicap named the Yorkshire Stayers’ Handicap for one year in 1951.
The race continued being run at its original distance until 1965, being reduced to one mile and three-quarters the following year. When the grading of races was introduced in 1971 it was given Group 2 status and run as such ever since. In 2011 the race was made part of the British Champions Series and is the first race of the long-distance discipline of that competition, with winners qualifying for the British Long Distance Cup at Ascot in October.
Run over one mile, five furlongs and one hundred and eighty-eight yards, the race is open to horses aged four and over. The following weight information applies:
- Weight: 9 stone 1 pound
- Fillies & mares get a 3 pound allowance
- Group 1 race winners receive a 5 pound penalty
- Group 2 race winners receive a 3 pound penalty
Handicap
Class 2, 1m2½f
As with all handicap races, the handicapper decides on the weight that each horse must carry in this event that comes straight after the feature race of Day Three. It’s run over one mile, two furlongs and fifty-six yards and is open to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 100. The prize money for the winner comes in at close to £19,000.
Fillies' Handicap
Class 3, 7f
The handicappers are involved in setting the weights once again, this time in a race that is limited to female horses. They’ll need to be aged three or over with a rating of between 0 and 90 to take part, with the winner taking home more than £12,000. It’s run over seven furlongs, lasting for roughly a minute and a half when the Going is Good to Firm.
Handicap
Class 3, 5f
Run in association with Yorkshire Equine Practice, this Class 2 race is for three-year-olds with a rating of between 0 and 90. The prize money is roughly £12,500 for the winner, who will have to beat the field over five furlongs in order to claim it. When the Going is Good to Firm it will take the leaders about a minute to hit the finish line.
Longines Handicap
Class 4, 1m4f
The Dante Festival at York Racecourse comes to a close with the Class 4 Longines Irish Champions Weekend Handicap. It is run over one mile, three furlongs and one hundred and eighty-eight yards, with the horses taking part being three-year-olds with a rating of between 0 and 85. The prize money for the winner is about £12,700 in this race that will last for two and a half minutes or so on Going that is Good to Firm.
About York's Dante Festival
Most of the biggest racecourses in the UK are known for specific meetings, but they also often have smaller meetings that are noteworthy in their own way at other times in the season. Cheltenham has the Festival, for example, but it also has the likes of the November Meeting and the New Year’s Day races to bolster its calendar. York Racecourse also follows this pattern, being best-known for the Ebor Festival in August but also offering the Juddmonte International.
Another of York’s major events is the Dante Meeting, sometimes referred to as the Spring Festival because it takes place every May. It is perhaps better known a the Dante Meeting because the Dante Stakes is the most prestigious race that takes place during it, but that’s not to take away from the rest of the meeting that is filled with fascinating races. Located in the south-west of the city of York, the racecourse comes second only to Ascot in terms of the amount of money offered in prizes per meeting.
As with other meetings, the best place to start when it comes to the Dante Meeting is with the races that take place over the three days of the celebration of racing. It is the start of the flat racing season for York, kicking off the summer in style with top-class racing.