This Wednesday, the Dante Festival kicks off in style with a cracking seven-race card on the Knavesmire. Topping the bill is this Group 2 sprint contest. As the title suggests, this event debuted in 1895, albeit as a middle-distance affair. Interestingly, the 1895 has only recently been added to the race title to avoid confusion concerning which Duke Of York the race honours, i.e. not the current one.
Alleged Royal misdemeanours aside, this £150,000 event presents a valuable early season contest for a selection of the most talented 6f stars in training, with Indian Ridge, Invincible Spirit, and Harry Angel all featuring on the roll of honour.
Clearly, raw speed is an advantage over the straight 6f, but what else does it take to prevail? Here, we look back at the ten results between 2015 and 2024 (no race in 2020), highlight the standout stats and trends, and pick out our best bet for the 2025 edition.
Fate of the Favourite
With four wins over the ten editions in our sample, the favourite boasts a solid 40% recent strike rate in this event. However, that hasn’t been enough to earn favourite backers a profit, with a £1 level stake bet on the jolly returning a small loss of 31p. Six of the ten winners returned a single figure SP, and three were 12/1-14/1. Glass Office caused the biggest shock when defying odds of 40/1 in 2014.
Rating of Winner
With an official rating of a lofty 125, Group 1 star Harry Angel (2018) topped our ratings table. Shock winner Glass Office was the low man on the totem pole with a rating of 103. However, that was only 1lb lower than Highfield Princess (2022) and Azure Blue (2023). With all ten winners arriving with a rating of 103+, we will use this as our first criterion.
Proven at Listed Level and Up
Having previously scored in Group 1 company, it was perhaps no surprise to see Harry Angel (2018) and Maarek (2014) come home in front in this Group 2 event. Whilst they were the only two winners who had scored at this level or higher, all ten had at least a Listed-level success.
Age of Winner
The 1895 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes is open to runners aged three and older. Nine three-year-olds have come home in front, but none since 1999. In recent years, 4-5-year-olds have dominated, with nine of the ten winners in our sample falling into that bracket.
Going the Distance
To claim a high-class 6f event, logic would suggest that a previous win at the distance may be an advantage. That was certainly the case in our sample, with all bar the 2022 winner Highfield Princess having previously scored over the trip.
Experience At This Level
Whilst only two of the ten winners had previously won in this grade or higher, most at least had experience in Group 2 company. Nine of the ten winners had lined up at least once in Group 2 or Group 1 company.
Recent Run a Plus
The season may only be around six to seven weeks old by the time the Dante Festival begins. However, most of the winners in our sample had already appeared at the track, with eight of ten arriving on the back of a break of 46 days or less.
Arriving in Form
Glass Office finished seventh on his previous outing, whilst Starman (2021) managed only 14th. However, every other winner had finished in the first two on their most recent racecourse appearance.
Betting Recommendations: Bamby All The Rage?
An incredibly tight race on the trends, with all eight runners hitting at least five of our seven key stats. However, there are three that nose ahead of the rest by hitting six out of seven:
- Marshman: Only fifth and twelfth in the past two editions of this, but started slowly on both occasions. May fare better if breaking on terms.
- Night Raider: Ended 2024 in sparkling form on the All-Weather but is zero from three on turf.
- Rage Of Bamby: Generally goes well at this track with career form figures of 251. Listed Class winner and a fair third over 7f on her only previous outing in Group 2 company.
Night Raider is a horse we like, but odds of 5/2 look a little skinny for a horse with such a poor effort on turf. At 14/1 and 20/1, respectively, Marshman and Rage Of Bamby are more appealing as each-way options. The former likely won’t be far away if he behaves himself at the start, but the vote goes to Rage Of Bamby, who will relish the quick conditions and posted a fine effort to claim the Sky Bet Dash on her most recent appearance at this track.
- Recommended Win Bet: Rage Of Bamby each way @ 20/1 with Betfred
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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