Inaugurated 1958 Sponsor Betfred Distance 1m 2f 88y (2,092 m) | Race type Flat / Thoroughbred Website York | |
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Location York Racecourse
York, England | ||
The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards (2,092 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. 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. It was promoted to Group 2 level in 1980.
In total, ten winners of the race have achieved victory in the Derby. The first was St Paddy in 1960, and the most recent was Golden Horn in 2015. 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, won the Irish Derby.
The Dante Stakes is currently staged on the second day of York's three-day Dante Festival meeting.