DANTE LIGHTS UP THE NORTH: Andy Newton shares the facts and figures in betting guide to York feast

York Dante Festival 2026

Hot on the heels of the Chester May Meeting at the start of the month is the three-day York Dante Festival – which will provide yet more clues ahead of some of the English Classics.

Most notably the Epsom Derby, with the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante Stakes often pitched as one of the best trials for the Epsom Classic – backed up with eleven horses doing the double over the years.

As well as the Dante Stakes, which is staged on the middle day (Thursday) of the meeting – the festival sees a total of five Group races and a stack of competitive handicaps.

When Is The York Dante Festival 2026?

• Wednesday 13th May: Tattersalls Musidora Stakes
• Thursday 14th May: Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante Stakes
• Friday 15th May: Boodles Yorkshire Cup

Dante Festival Day One (Wednesday 13th May, 2026)

The opening day of the Dante Festival will be spearheaded by two races: The Group Two The Go Local Stores Minster Stakes and the Group Three Tattersalls Musidora Stakes.

With the latter often a fair guide towards the Epsom Oaks each season, having produced eight subsequent victors on the Downs.

The middle-distance fillies’ race has seen two winners since 2021 (Snowfall and Soul Sister) go onto win the Oaks the following month.

The Musidora is also a race trainer John Gosden loves to target – he’s won the race eight times and needs just one more to equal the record haul of Sir Henry Cecil (9).

While, slightly surprisingly, Aidan O’Brien has won the race just twice – but these have come since 2021 – including last year with the Ryan Moore-ridden Whirl, who went onto be a neck runner-up in the Epsom Oaks, behind another Knavesmire winner in Minnie Hauk.

In short, with nine wins between them in the last 15 runnings of the Musidora Stakes – anything John Gosden or Aidan O’Brien run has to be noted.

Pride Of Arras ridden by Rossa Ryan on way to winning 2025 Dante Stakes

Dante Festival Day Two (Thursday 14th May, 2026)

Day two of the festival sees the race the meeting is named after feature – The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante Stakes – takes centre stage.

Just like the Musidora Stakes, Sir Henry Cecil also used to dominate this prize with seven wins – which is the same tally as Sir Michael Stoute.

John Gosden and Aidan are on four wins each – but the last success for Ballydoyle was in 2010 with Cape Blanco.

The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante Stakes though is regarded as one of the best Derby Trial races around – backed up with 11 horses winning both prizes and the most recent Desert Crown in 2022.

With in more recent times, the likes of Golden Horn, Authorized, Motivator and North Light – other examples of horses to use the Dante Stakes as their prep race before taking Epsom glory.

But last year’s shock Dante winner Pride Of Arras (18/1) trailed in a lowly 17th (of 18) in the Epsom Derby the following month; though a storming return to the North to land the Group Two Sky Bet Great Voltigeur provided some consolation to Yorkshire owners, the Ackroyds

In terms of jockeys to note coming into the race – Oisin Murphy, William Buick and Ryan Moore all have three wins each.

Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante Stakes Trends

19/23 – Finished third or better last time out
18/22 – Winners that went onto run in the Epsom Derby (4 won)
16/23 – Returned 8/1 or shorter in the betting
16/23 – Had a previous race that season
15/23 – Won their previous race
10/23 – Went onto be placed in the Epsom Derby
5/23 – Had won over 1m2f before
5/23 – Winning favourites (1 joint)
4/23 – Went onto win the Epsom Derby (11 in total)
3/23 – Won by trainer Aidan O’Brien (won it 4 times in all)
3/23 – Won by jockey Ryan Moore
3/23 – Trained by John Gosden (3 of last 11 runnings)
3/23 – Ridden by William Buick
3/23 – Ridden by Oisin Murphy (3 of the last 8)
2/23 – Trained the Johnston yard (Mark/Charlie) (2 of last 9)
2/23 – Winners from stall 2
1/23 – Had run at York before
Just 3 winning favourites in the last 17 runnings (1 joint)
Desert Crown (2022) and Golden Horn (2015) were the last Dante winners to go onto win the Epsom Derby
11 Dante Stakes winners in total have gone onto win the Epsom Derby

Dante/Derby Winners

• 1960 – St Paddy
• 1978 – Shirley Heights
• 1986 – Shahrastani
• 1987 – Reference Point
• 1994 – Erhaab
• 1997 – Benny The Dip
• 2004 – North Light
• 2005 – Motivator
• 2007 – Authorized
• 2015 – Golden Horn
• 2022 – Desert Crown

Past Dante Stakes Winners

2025 – PRIDE OF ARRAS (18/1)
2024 – ECONOMICS (6/1)
2023 – THE FOXES (6/1)
2022 – DESERT CROWN (7/2 jfav)
2021 – HURRICANE LANE (5/1)
2020 – THUNDEROUS (13/2)
2019 – TELECASTER (7/1)
2018 – ROARING LION (3/1 fav)
2017 – PERMIAN (10/1)
2016 – WINGS OF DESIRE (9/1)

Dante Festival Day Three (Friday 15th May, 2026)

The final day’s action at the Dante Festival will see another seven-race card that is spearheaded by the Group Two Boodles Yorkshire Cup over 1m6f.

It’s a race that will give horse racing fans a chance to see the ‘cup horses’ back in action – with last year’s running landed by the globe-trotting Rebel’s Romance for Godolphin.

That win gave trainer Charlie Appleby his first success in the race but provided jockey William Buick with this third win – as he looks to close in on the haul of six Frankie Dettori wins.

The race can often be seen as a good guide towards the  Gold Cup at  Royal Ascot the following month.

With the last horse win both races in the same season – Stradivarius in 2019.