Some top notch sprinters take their chance in the Group 2 Duke Of York Stakes at York on Wednesday afternoon, which is one of the feature races on day 1 of York’s Dante Festival at 3:13pm. Looking to use this as a springboard to Royal Ascot, this 6f contest has attracted a strong field of speedsters and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers looks to point you in the direction of the 1-2-3 here.
Favourites
Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin was one of the star three-year-old sprinters last season as having won the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park he then went and obliterated his rivals in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. He failed to kick on from that effort and was well beaten in both the July Cup and Sprint Cup, but he’s certainly a classy performer on his day and if he can replicate his form from the early part of last season then he has to be a leading contender here.
Karl Burke’s Elite Status suffered a similar fate to Inisherin last year as having won a Listed and Group 3 sprint at Newbury he was then found wanting in the second half of the season and was well beaten in the Sprint Cup and Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day. However, he is a smart sprinter on his day and has to be considered if bouncing back here. Night Raider will be the second shot fired by the Burke team and having started the campaign slowly last season he stormed into the spotlight with two impressive all-weather wins, which included a Listed success. However, a return to turf may not be ideal and he will need to improve again to down the aforementioned pair of Inisherin and Elite Status.
Outsiders
Andrew Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda put up a career best in her last outing of last season when running a mighty race at 25/1 to finish third in the Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot. She has a victory to her name at York, so will relish a return to the Knavesmire and if she can continue her improvement then she could be one that gets involved at the finish. Twelfth in this race last season, Marshman is another flying the flag for Karl Burke and the five-year-old does line up with the benefit of a few runs this season, but this is significantly more difficult than his last outing on AW Championships Final day.
Eve Johnson Houghton’s Rage Of Bamby ended the season last term with a Listed win, but will need to improve immeasurably here to land a blow, while the pairing of Kerdos and Royal Zabeel have their work cut out in an enthralling renewal of this event.
Duke Of York Stakes Racecard
Here’s an in-depth guide to the runners and riders for the 2025 Duke Of York Stakes on Wednesday 14th May, 2025.
15:13 York
Good To Firm1895 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes (Group 2)
- 0m 6f 0y
- Class 1
- 8 runners
- Win time: 1m 10s
11/8F (Won)
- Win: £2.38
- Place: £1.30
14/1
- Place: £2.00
4/1
- Place: £1.50
11/4
28/1
18/1
33/1
+o+e Betting Returns
| Payout | |
|---|---|
| Exacta | £19.30 |
| Straight Forecast | £23.12 |
| Tricast | £64.08 |
| Trifecta | £59.70 |
Selections
Daily Mirror:
Night RaiderThe Guardian:
Flora Of BermudaTOPSPEED:
Elite StatusTelegraph:
Elite StatusDaily Mail:
Elite StatusThe Star:
Elite StatusDuke Of York Stakes Prediction
Undoubtedly, the best horse in the race is INISHERIN, who was a real class act last season and if he can replicate his win in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot then he can claim victory in this race. The smooth traveller will be hoping to use this race as a springboard to the Royal meeting next season and he can down Elite Status, who can finish best of the rest in the second, with Flora Of Bermuda claiming third spot.
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