The 2021 York Dante Festival has provided us with plenty to talk about, and the action reaches its thrilling climax on day 3 with the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup taking centre stage. Our expert has once again delved through the York card, identifying four selections. All these runners can be backed at 888, who currently have a huge sign-up offer in place which gives up to £100 in free bets.
CANONIZED (1.40 York, 11/2)
CANONIZED is the first foal out of Sainted, who was a juvenile winner for connections back in 2015. This daughter of Acclamation blew the start on her Newmarket debut and was given an educational ride thereafter. She clearly learned plenty from that initial experience when demolishing her rivals in a Goodwood novice last month.
Canonized was well on top at the line there and the time read well when compared to a three-year-old handicap run on the same card.
Rider Tom Marquand was glowing in his praise for the filly after that Goodwood success, reporting that she was a “real speedy pocket rocket type”. William Haggas is currently operating at a 20% strike rate with his runners at York in recent years, and at the current 11/2 available, Canonized looks good value to enhance that record this afternoon.
Fabiosa is out of Delizia (winner of this race in 2015), and her yard has won two of the last seven renewals – as such, she rates a clear second best.
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SNOW LANTERN (2.10 York, 13/8)
She wouldn’t be the most original selection at her 13/8 price, but there is the capability for SNOW LANTERN to prove streets ahead of this field, and with that in mind, her current odds are not as stingy as they may first appear.
Richard Hannon’s filly is an impeccably bred daughter of Frankel, with her dam the four-time Group 1 winning Sky Lantern.
Snow Lantern went into many notebooks when a fast-finishing second on debut at Ascot last July – splitting two subsequent Group operators but strongly leaving the opinion that she was the best horse in the race.
Back from an absence of almost nine months, Snow Lantern comfortably took a Newbury maiden last month, seeing off two useful colts – with the front three pulling well clear of the remainder.
Snow Lantern had plenty in hand at the line there, and her connections nominated this as her target afterwards – bypassing a possible tilt at the 1000 Guineas – that decision can be vindicated with a victory here, with Snow Lantern already looking a potential Group 1 performer down the line.
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FISHABLE (2.40 York, 17/2)
This can go the way of FISHABLE, who – poor run in the 1m6f Melrose aside – had quite a progressive profile at three.
He was beaten less than a length over course and distance in October, proving his effectiveness over the Knavesmire. Very buzzy and keen on seasonal reappearance at Ripon last month, Fishable only gave best in the final furlong, splitting two subsequent winners – now 103-rated Zabeel Champion just over two lengths ahead.
Hopefully, that run will have knocked the freshness out of Fishable, and it strongly suggested that he has races in him off his current mark should things fall his way.
If the addition of first-time cheekpieces manages to unlock some improvement here, he looks a decent betting proposition at around the 17/2 mark.
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RED POPPY (3.40 York, 14/1)
The Group 2 Yorkshire Cup is the feature race on day 3 of the Dante Festival and despite the small field it promises to be a vintage renewal. There appears a far stronger betting proposition in the following handicap (3.40), however, in 14/1 poke RED POPPY.
This daughter of Declaration Of War failed to get off the mark in four starts for William Haggas, but she made a winning debut for her current connections at Newcastle in December.
Red Poppy strongly caught the eye when enduring a luckless run at Doncaster on her penultimate run, and a line can be put through her latest effort which came on ground far quicker than she cares for.
Back on slightly softer conditions today, and with the addition of a first-time visor hopefully going some way to ironing out a few of her quirks, she looks a decent bet at around the 14/1 mark.
Trainer Charlie Fellowes has his string in fine fettle of late, and rarely sends horses up to York for nothing, with his current strike rate at the track at a healthy 21% (Red Poppy set to be his only runner here this week).
Those towards the top of this market have far from prolific profiles, with Shawaamekh and Trinity Lake both winless since 2019, and that could set things up here for something at a bigger price.
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Dante Festival Day 3 Best Bets
CANONIZED (1.40 York, 11/2)
SNOW LANTERN (2.10 York, 13/8)
FISHABLE (2.40 York, 17/2)
RED POPPY (3.40 York, 14/1)
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