William Haggas’s Feilden Stakes winner Morshdi is among 12 horses still in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes at York, with Aidan O’Brien, Charlie Appleby and John and Thady Gosden all holding notable hands for the key Derby trial.
Morshdi Disputing The Dante Stakes Favourites Berth
Morshdi has moved into focus for the Dante after the six-day-stage confirmations left a select field for York’s Group 2 contest on Thursday, 14 May.
Twelve horses remained in the race, with Morshdi one of the headline names after his seasonal return win in the Feilden Stakes at Newmarket (watch below).
The Dubawi colt was due to run in the Dee Stakes at Chester last week but was pulled from the race after the track experienced some issues with the ground on Thursday.
The current Racing TV racecard lists Morshdi among a dozen remaining contenders for the 1m2f56y test, a race worth £102,078 to the winner.
Trained by William Haggas, Morshdi has now been rerouted to the Dante Stakes at York – a prize his trainer won in 2024 with Economics.
Haggas will then be hoping Morshdi can head to the Derby in June – and add to his sole win in the English Classic, which came with Shaamit way back in 1996.
The Ballydoyle Dante challenge is headed by Action, Amadeus Mozart, Christmas Day and Italy, while Charlie Appleby’s team includes Al Zanati, King’s Trail and Maho Bay.
But with Maho Bay entered in Saturday’s Lingfield Derby Trial (9th May), he’s expected to come out.
Four-time Dante winner John and Thady Gosden are also represented by Guildmaster, Saxon Street and Wise Prince.
With Andrew Balding’s Item completing the leading group named across the live cards – as the Kingsclere yard look to add to their 2023 Dante win with The Foxes.
Ballydoyle and Godolphin Depth Adds Shape to the Trial
Even at this stage, the Dante is beginning to look like one of the clearest middle-distance signposts of the British spring.
Morshdi brings recent winning form and proven York experience, while Ballydoyle’s four-strong team underlines how seriously Aidan O’Brien is treating the race.
With Aidan O’Brien’s Christmas Day hoping to provide the top Irish hander with his fifth Dante present – with his most recent, however, coming back in 2010 with Cape Blanco.
Christmas Day heads here after a top win in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown (watch below) last time out.
The Dante Festival also got a boost recently with the York prize money boosted to £12.5m in 2026 – with every Dante Festival races rising to at least £30k.
Appleby’s possible squad gives the contest further depth, especially with Al Zanati already placed in a recognised Sandown trial and King’s Trail bringing Classic-race experience after his run in the 2000 Guineas.
The Gosden team also retains multiple options, which adds further depth to a field that may be compact but is rich in unexposed three-year-old talent.
Dante Stakes – A Leading Epsom Derby Trial
Last season we saw Lambourn win the Chester Vase before going onto win the Epsom Derby – so the winner of that race last week Benvenuto Cellini, who is also trained by Aidan O’Brien has to be feared.
However, the Dante Stakes has also been a top Derby trial in recent years.
Backed up with 11 horses winning both prizes and the most recent Desert Crown in 2022.
Meaning, whichever horse lands the big York prize on Thursday is sure to have their Epsom Derby 2026 odds clipped ahead of the June 6th race.
Dante/Derby Winners
- 1960 – St Paddy
- 1978 – Shirley Heights
- 1986 – Shahrastani
- 1987 – Reference Point
- 1994 – Erhaab
- 1997 – Benny The Dip
- 2004 – North Light
- 2005 – Motivator
- 2007 – Authorized
- 2015 – Golden Horn
- 2022 – Desert Crown
Dante Stakes Race Details 2026
📅 Date: Thursday, 14th May 2026
⌚ Time: 4:05pm
🏇 Racecourse: York
🔄 Trip: 1m 2 1/2f
💷 Winner: £102,078
📺 TV: ITV Racing / Racing TV
Dante Betting Odds 2026: Christmas Day Tops Market For Ballydoyle
See below the latest Dante Stakes betting odds and runners.
- Christmas Day 3/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- Morshdi 7/2 (William Haggas)
- Al Zanati 5/1 (Charlie Appleby)
- Saxon Street 5/1 (John & Thady Gosden)
- Item 11/2 (Andrew Balding)
- Wise Prince 12/1 (John & Thady Gosden)
- Action 14/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- King’s Trail 14/1 (Charlie Appleby)
- Italy 16/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- Maho Bay 20/1 (Charlie Appleby)
- Amadeus Mozart 33/1 (Aidan O’Brien)
- Guildmaster 33/1 (John & Thady Gosden)
Note: 2026 Dante Betting Odds are subject to change and others on request.
When Is The York Dante Festival 2026?
York Racecourse
- Wednesday 13th May: Tattersalls Musidora Stakes
- Thursday 14th May: Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Dante Stakes
- Friday 15th May: Boodles Yorkshire Cup
Past Dante Stakes Winners
- 2025 – PRIDE OF ARRAS (18/1)
- 2024 – ECONOMICS (6/1)
- 2023 – THE FOXES (6/1)
- 2022 – DESERT CROWN (7/2 jfav)
- 2021 – HURRICANE LANE (5/1)
- 2020 – THUNDEROUS (13/2)
- 2019 – TELECASTER (7/1)
- 2018 – ROARING LION (3/1 fav)
- 2017 – PERMIAN (10/1)
- 2016 – WINGS OF DESIRE (9/1)
WATCH: Pride Of Arras Winning The Dante Stakes 2025
