The Dante Stakes is a Group 2flathorse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards (2,063 metres) at York in May.
History
The event is named after Dante, the Yorkshire-trained winner of the Derby substitute at Newmarket in 1945. Established in 1958, it serves as a major trial for the Derby.[1] The first running was won by Bald Eagle.
The present race grading system was introduced in 1971, and the Dante Stakes initially held Group 3 status.[2] It was promoted to Group 2 level in 1980.
In total, eleven winners of the race have achieved victory in the Derby. The first was St Paddy in 1960, and the most recent was Desert Crown in 2022. The 2014 Dante Stakes winner, The Grey Gatsby, subsequently won France's equivalent of the Derby, the Prix du Jockey-Club while the 2015 runner-up, Jack Hobbs, and 2021 winner Hurricane Lane, both won the Irish Derby.
The Dante Stakes is currently staged on the second day of York's three-day Dante Festival meeting.
Records
Leading jockey (6 wins):
Pat Eddery – Beldale Flutter (1981), Hot Touch (1983), Damister (1985), Red Glow (1988), Sanglamore (1990), Tenby (1993)
Henry Cecil – Approval (1970), Lyphard's Wish (1979), Hello Gorgeous (1980), Simply Great (1982), Claude Monet (1984), Reference Point (1987), Tenby (1993)
Sir Michael Stoute - Shahrastani (1986), Alnasr Alwasheek (1992), Dilshaan (2001), North Light (2004), Tartan Bearer (2008), Carlton House (2011), Desert Crown (2022)
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