York Dante Festival Day 2 Tips: Lion to roar on the Knavesmire

There are six meetings across the UK and Ireland on Thursday, with day two of York's Dante Festival being the highlight. The feature is of course the Dante itself at 15:45, with racing at York from 14:10-17:25 on a quality card from York as the track's new season clicks into gear.

I've come up with three York Dante Festival Day 2 tips including the Aidan O'Brien-trained favourite in the Dante as the Ballydoyle supremo looks to scoop yet another Derby trial.

14:10 – Vantheman @ 7/1

Betfred offer FIVE places for each-way punters in the opening Lindum York Handicap and that makes Kevin Ryan's contender VANTHEMAN one for the shortlist.

The gelded son of Invincible Army is a two-time winner at this 5f trip, on the Tapeta at Newcastle in May last year and then at Pontefract in July.

In between those runs, he was second over course and distance at this meeting. His record at York is solid. He was fifth in a valuable two-year-old sales race at the Ebor festival in 2023 and backed up that effort here last May by finishing fourth of 17 in October on his final outing of the season.

He's rated 2lb lower now and he ran well enough at Newmarket for a long way in last month's comeback over 6f. He should be sharper for that and the drop back to 5f on this course will suit.

This is an Extra Place Race, with Betfred paying 5 places instead of 4 at 1/5 the odds for all each-way bets.

15:13 – Beautiful Love @ 9/2

See The Fire ran well on her comeback at Sandown in last month's Gordon Richards Stakes and she is much-respected back in against her own sex, but BEAUTIFUL LOVE could be a rival of some substance.

The Godolphin-owned Siyouni filly just shaped as though she might have needed the run at Newmarket in the Group 2 Betfred Dahlia Stakes at the Guineas meeting.

She was handily placed but got caught for speed at a crucial stage before rallying well as her stablemate Cinderella's Dream justified favouritism.

Stable jockey William Buick returns now and this longer trip favours the four-year-old, who was a winner of a fast-ground Grade 3 in America last year over 1m3f. They could get racing some way out here, and that will be in Beautiful Love's favour.

15:45 – The Lion In Winter @ 10/11

The big race of the three days at York is the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes, a Group 2 over 1m2½f that can often prove a massive pointer to the Epsom Derby.

Aidan O'Brien hasn't typically sent his leading Derby contenders to this race, but after a minor setback ruled THE LION IN WINTER out of the Betfred 2,000 Guineas, this became the prime comeback target.

Desert Crown was the most recent Derby winner to bag this race in 2022 and Sir Michael Stoute's charge did so on his reappearance.

O'Brien last won the Dante in 2010 with Cape Blanco but he hasn't sent anything quite as promising as this son of Sea The Stars to the Knavesmire since.

The Lion In Winter produced a stunning performance to beat Wimbledon Hawkeye (second) and subsequent 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court (third) in the Acomb here last summer over 7f and he looks sure to be even better at this new trip, as O'Brien and Ryan Moore aim to continue their domination of the Classic trials.