The excitement of the first Classics of the season had been and gone and it was full steam ahead towards the biggest race of the season, the Epsom Derby. Trials had taken place around Britain and Ireland in recent weeks and the main contenders had emerged. The final seats on the plane to Epsom needed to be filled and it was the turn of the Dante Festival at York to take centre stage.
The three day meeting is an extremely popular occasion for many flat racing fans and it marks the start of York's season. A world renowned racing venue which prides itself on its racing quality, the Yorkshire course can rub shoulders with Cheltenham, Ascot and Newmarket as the best in the country.

The first day of the meeting saw the Oaks contenders step into the ring with the Musidora Stakes, a ten furlong race which has held a major influence on the Epsom Classic. Alongside the Musidora came the Duke Of York Stakes for the speedsters which often provides future winners at Royal Ascot and the international stage. 
Day two provided the feature race of the meeting, the Dante Stakes, which is seen by many as the premier Derby trial. Like in the Musidora, the Dante Stakes has been a good guide to future Classic winners and introduced subsequent Epsom winner Desert Crown last year. 
The third and final day was headlined by the staying brigade with the Yorkshire Cup over a mile and six furlongs. Racegoers will now have to get used to a world without Stradivarius, who retired at the end of last year, as he made this race his own and is a bona fide legend of the sport. The next generation of stayers held the opportunity to shine and the sight of the Ascot Gold Cup was on the horizon. 

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