Each of the three days of the excellent Dante Festival has something to offer. However, the big highlight arrives on Day 2 with the event from which the meeting takes its name.
First run in 1958, and named in honour of the locally trained Derby-winning star of the 1940s, the Dante Stakes is recognised as the key domestic trial for the Epsom showpiece. Since 2000, Desert Crown, Golden Horn, Authorized, Motivator, and North Light have all grabbed Dante gold on their way to a famous success in the 1m4f Classic.
Following the final declarations on Tuesday morning, 11 regally bred colts remain in contention for this Group 2 affair, with the prize money boosted to £192,200 thanks to Alpine Trail’s late supplementary entry.
A cracking race in its own right and essential viewing with an eye to the Derby, the Dante Stakes is not to be missed. But what does it take to win? Here, we look back at the ten editions between 2015 and 2024, highlight the standout stats and trends, and pick out our best trends-based bet for the 2025 edition.
Fate of the Favourite
With only two winning favourites over the course of our sample, the Dante Stakes has been far from straightforward to unravel in recent years. Those placing a £1 level stakes bet on the market leader over this period received a £3.75 loss for their trouble. That said, the market was rarely too far wrong, with nine of the ten winners returning a single figure SP – the only exception being Permian, who scored at 10/1 in 2017.
Stamina Considerations
With only a few 1m2f 3yo events early in the season, and even fewer for 2yos, it isn’t too surprising that only four winners had previously scored over at least 1m2f. However, nine of ten had hinted at an ability to stay this far with a win over 1m or further.
Solid Effort Last Time
Roaring Lion (2018) improved on a fifth-placed effort in the 2000 Guineas to land this prize. However, he was the odd horse out in our sample, with every other winner having finished first or second on their previous outing.
Race Fitness an Advantage
Over the ten editions in our sample, Desert Crown (2022) was the only horse to win this on their seasonal return. With every other winner having run within the last 31 days, we will use this as our next criterion.
Pedigree Pointers
As far as the Dante Stakes, that appears to be where the strong trends run dry, with the additional metrics failing to produce any meaningful results. However, a pattern in the pedigrees may be worth noting. Whilst the 21st-century powerhouse stallions, Galileo and Dubawi, didn’t directly produce a winner, seven of the ten winners in our sample were sired by one of their sons.
Betting Recommendations: Trail Up To The Task and High Hopes for Hills
Not an overly strong race for trends fans, with hot favourite The Lion In Winter scoring only one out of four on our key measures. As a distance winner who won 13 days ago, Alpine Trail ticks the first three boxes. Whilst not a Grandson of Dubawi, it is hard to deny him his tick in the fourth box, considering he is sired by the Godolphin flagbearer. Impressive in his two starts to date, Godolphin wouldn’t shell out the £14,000 late entry fee just for the fun of it, and he rates the obvious trends win bet.
For an each-way punt, we will turn to the five runners who score three out of four on our key trends:
- Devil’s Advocate, 33/1 with Betfred: By miler, Too Darn Hot, but has stamina on the dam side. Impressive Maiden winner last season but very disappointing on his seasonal return in the Blue Riband Trial.
- Mister Rizz, 33/1 with BoyleSports: Only made debut in April when staying on for second over 1m. Stepped up on that to score over this trip at Doncaster. This demands much more than that three-runner Class 5 event, but is out of a Frankel mare, which offers some pedigree encouragement.
- Pride Of Aras, 12/1 with Betfred: Once raced New Bay colt, who scored impressively over 1m at Sandown last term. Trainer Ralph Beckett won that same race with Westover in 2021.
- Sea Scout, 22/1 with Betfred: Caused a huge 40/1 shock to claim the Blue Riband Trial in April. Nicely bred for the job, but Mirabeau and Prince Of The Seas have done little to advertise the form of that Epsom event in their subsequent outings.
- Tuscan Hills, 14/1 with BoyleSports: Two from two in his career to date, including the Listed Silver Tankard Stakes at Pontefract. Makes his seasonal return here but appeals on pedigree, being by Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) and out of a Sea The Stars mare.
From that shortlist of five, Pride Of Aras and Tuscan Hills make the most each-way appeal. We wouldn’t put anyone off either, but we just prefer the claims of Tuscan Hills, who, as a Listed winner, has achieved more at the track and may make a splash for the emerging yard of Raphael E Freire.
- Recommended Win Bet: Alpine Trail to win @ 13/2 with Betfred
- Recommended Win Bet: Tuscan Hills each way @ 14/1 with Boylesports
Our Top Betting Sites for the 2025 Dante Stakes:
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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.
