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2023 Musidora and Dante tips: why these horses can win the big races at York
The Musidora Stakes and Dante Stakes are two of the headline races on what promises to be an enthralling three days at York this week. Here our expert tipsters have picked out who they think has the best chance of throwing their name into the Classic picture with Group-race glory on the Knavesmire.
Musidora Stakes (3.35 Wednesday)
Gather Ye Rosebuds
By Jack Haynes
This Jack Channon-trained filly recorded by far the best Racing Post Rating of the Musidora runners on debut when routing a Newbury fillies’ maiden last month.
The only winner of the Newbury event to have bettered her RPR in the past decade was subsequent St Leger second Lah Ti Dar.
She has to prove her ability to handle better ground – her Newbury success was on soft – but if handling conditions she could prove a class apart and she seems overpriced in what looks a more open race than the market suggests.
Empress Wu
By Harry Wilson
I was really taken with how Empress Wu finished her race off over just shy of this trip on her debut at Lingfield last year, where she travelled strongly before being pulled widest of all and thundering home from off the pace.
She was merely shaken up to put the race to bed, looking a class above her rivals, and the second has won since to give the form some substance.
That rival is rated 82 and Empress Wu never got out of second gear to beat him by just over two lengths, while current short-priced favourite Infinite Cosmos was just over four lengths ahead of the 78-rated Therapist, so there doesn't seem to be much between them on bare form. Empress Wu ran a slightly quicker time, too.
From the family of connections' Group 1 winner Madame Chiang, she is open to untold improvement on just her second start and is being completely disrespected in the market at 16-1.
Gather Ye Rosebuds
By Joe Eccles
Infinite Cosmos was impressive at Newmarket last time but the gap between herself and Gather Ye Rosebuds in the betting is far too great. The latter looked high-class when landing what is typically a strong Newbury maiden by nine and a half lengths on debut in April.
Life Of Dreams took that contest last year before chasing home Emily Upjohn in this race and Gather Ye Rosebuds posted a Racing Post Rating 16lb higher, so granted natural improvement from the run she rates a solid proposition.
Gather Ye Rosebuds’ Newbury win came on soft ground, so she does have to prove that she can handle this faster surface, but nothing in her action or pedigree suggests that she is going to prove ground dependent.
Novakai
By Matt Rennie
Novakai has been one of the market moves in the Musidora and it is not hard to see why.
The daughter of Lope De Vega was one of the top juvenile fillies of last season and was only a length behind Commissioning in the Fillies' Mile when the pair pulled well clear of the field.
Given she is out of a dam who won over as far as 1m6f but was at her best over middle-distances, she should thrive on the step up in trip and represents a Karl Burke yard who are still in form, operating at a 21 per cent strike-rate in the last fortnight.
Dante Stakes (3.35 Thursday)
White Birch
By Harry Wilson
No Irish trainer has managed to win the Dante since Aidan O'Brien with Cape Blanco in 2010, but I was really drawn to the John Murphy-trained White Birch, who was supplemented for £9,000 for the Betfred Derby after winning the Ballysax last month.
White Birch showed a willing attitude to get back to the front on this first try at the distance, having been pushed wide after receiving a hefty bump from the runner-up Up And Under, who showed it was solid form by running to almost the identical Racing Post Rating when second to Sprewell in the Leopardstown Derby Trial.
Before that he had shown himself to have plenty of pace when taking a 7f Dundalk maiden by six and a half lengths and, as a son of Ulysses, he should have no problem handling the forecast better ground.
Liberty Lane
By Jack Haynes
The Dante looks a cracker and I’m happy to chance Liberty Lane at likely big odds.
I was working at Nottingham when he made a successful debut at the backend of last season and it was hard not to be impressed – his rider Clifford Lee was certainly pleased.
The form has not amounted to much but his return at Newmarket was highly encouraging. Liberty Lane was beaten three and a half lengths by subsequent Lingfield Derby trial second Waipiro in a novice event and gave the winner 7lb.
Liberty Lane pulled too hard on his return but still ran a fine race, and with that run under his belt, he can outrun his juicy price.
The Foxes
By Joe Eccles
A Group 2 winning juvenile, The Foxes was a huge eyecatcher in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket on seasonal reappearance where he tanked through his race before the lack of a recent run seemed to take its toll.
Stepping up just over two furlongs in trip looks a big plus for The Foxes, who has a striking middle-distance pedigree being a half-brother to Group 1 dirt winner Matterhorn and closely related to the same connections' Bangkok - who landed the Group 2 York Stakes over this course and distance in 2021.
Officially rated the equal of Epictetus, who is half his price with most firms, The Foxes rates a solid each-way betting proposition in an open-looking Dante.
Liberty Lane
By Matt Rennie
Another smart three-year-old for Karl Burke, Liberty Lane does have at least 20lb or so to find on ratings to match what the best of some of his Dante rivals have achieved, but he is still open to progress.
The son of Teolfilo pulled way too hard on just his second career start at Newmarket last time, going into the lead after two furlongs, so emerged with great credit to stay on for second behind Waipiro.
That rival has since boosted the form when a fine second in the Lingfield Derby Trial on Saturday and is 16-1 for the Epsom Classic. Liberty Lane should get a better pace to aim at in this and the Burke family are known for a Dante shock, after Libertarian's 33-1 victory in 2013.
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Read these next:
Can Infinite Cosmos live up to her billing or will another Oaks hopeful dazzle in the Musidora?
Confirmed runners and riders for the Dante at York on Thursday
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