Tuesday 12 May 2026 5:08 pm | Updated: Tuesday 12 May 2026 5:09 pm
York looks ready for a rousing encore as the three-day Dante Festival gets underway, with Classic trials aplenty providing the final pieces of the puzzle ahead of the Oaks and Derby. The key trials, today's Musidora Stakes and Thursday's Dante Stakes, are both contests well worth watching, but I'm keen to hunt out a few bets amongst the other action on today's card.
Churchill Tyres Handicap (2.55pm)
The first bet comes in the six-furlong Churchill Tyres Handicap, where last year's winner, ROUSING ENCORE, catches my eye. Often the key to the Ruth Carr yard is catching them in form, and signs are firing on all cylinders with several winners and a host of placed horses in the last week. As was the case last year, Rousing Encore has been given a few runs early in the season as preparation, with a return to the Knavesmire for this race likely to have been the plan. Some of those were good efforts, notably when finishing second at Newcastle off this mark in March, before a solid fifth at Newmarket last month. His most recent start at Doncaster was disappointing, but a return to York where he goes particularly well could spark a return to his best. While he is five pounds above last year's mark, some of his form from both last season and this suggest that isn't beyond him, and he looks a fair each-way price at around 16/1.
Group Two Minster Stakes (3.30pm)
The following race is the Group Two Minster Stakes, another six-furlong contest where several interesting sprinters line up. Big Mojo won on his reappearance last season but has to shoulder a five-pound penalty, having won the Group One Haydock Sprint Cup last September, and I'm happy to take him on. Time For Sandals looks short enough at the head of the market, while American Affair has a lengthy absence to overcome. Looking away from the more obvious contenders, one horse with good York form that looks a decent each-way bet at the prices is COOL HOOF LUKE. Andrew Balding's four-year-old ran the best race of his life when winning the Group Two Gimcrack Stakes over this course and distance in 2024, and has only raced twice since then. He returned to action when a close third at Lingfield in January before taking out a seven-furlong Listed contest at Wolverhampton in March. Given how hard he pulled throughout that contest, it was a fine effort to win, and I think he might be even better with a stronger gallop to aim at. A draw in stall 11 looks good here as he's surrounded by rivals such as Quinault and Regional who usually show bags of early speed, which could give him an ideal tow into the race, and I can see him finishing strongly. With that in mind, a price of 9/1 looks well worth taking.
Jorvik Handicap (2.20pm)
Another horse with strong York form is David O'Meara's STRESSFREE, who lines up in the mile-and-a-half Jorvik Handicap. He was just chinned in this race last year off a mark of 93, and while he arrives eight pounds higher this time, I think there's a chance he could be a better horse this season. On his reappearance at Ripon, he looked unlucky not to get his head in front, when never getting a clear run and only beaten a length. There's every chance he could atone for that now, and I think he's a rock-solid each-way bet at 13/2.
Pointers for Today
- Stressfree e/w - 2.20pm York
- Rousing Encore e/w - 2.55pm York
- Cool Hoof Luke e/w - 3.30pm York
