Dave Massey is back for Day 2 of The Dante Meeting 2025, with his best bets on The Knavesmire ahead of a top class day of racing. Read his exclusive thoughts for kwiff below.
York’s Dante Meeting: Huge Day 2 Tips
See The Fire (3.13) is the correct favourite. A ready winner of the Group 3 Strensall Stakes here last August, she was far from disgraced in Group 1 company after that, and she just looked in need of her first start of the year at Sandown, fading out of things in the closing stages to finish a 2l-fifth to Al Aasy. Back against her own sex here, she should strip fitter for that, and this looks the ideal test for her.
Dante Meeting 2025: See The Fire (3:13)
Beautiful Love might be the danger. She got some positive paddock comments from Vicki on her reappearance at Newmarket, but it was her well-backed stablemate, Cinderella’s Dream that was the one on the day, and perhaps she just needed the run to set her straight after a four-month absence. Proven on fast ground, this trip is probably ideal for her, and her overall form stacks up well.
Dante Meeting 2025: Aesterius (4:18)
Trying to find a lay today was tricky, but maybe a combination of it being his first start of the season, a 5lb penalty to carry for his wins last autumn and being drawn stall 9 of 9 might all be enough to see him toppled today. There’s no doubting he’s got the best form on show, that Group 2 win in the Flying Childers the highlight of a progressive and classy 2yo season, and he lost little in defeat when a close sixth in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar on his final run of the year, a slow start not helping his cause, but only beaten 2½ lengths still rates a good effort.
He does, of course, need to show he’s trained on too, and for all he’s beaten a couple of his main market rivals previously, I’d be happy to take the chance that he might just need it today, and be happy to lay at 2.9 and under.
Dante Meeting 2025: Tees Spirit (2.10)
Last year the first three home came from middle draws (12-10-11) but I’d still prefer to look low for the winner here. In stall 1 we have Ventura Express, 0-6 at York but has hit the frame a couple of times, including when a neck second to Copper Knight here in 2023, and he’s a mixer for forecasts and the like. Vince L’Amour in stall 2 has never excelled on quick ground (all wins on soft/heavy) and can be passed over, but Tees Spirit in stall 3 is of some interest.
Fifth in this last year, he had the rest of those drawn low well cooked with his blazing early speed by the furlong pole, only to find middle was the place to be. Maybe lugging right over to the rail didn’t help; all the same, stall 3 here, Jack Nicholls taking a useful 7lb off a simple point-and-shoot ride, and last month’s Ripon run should have blown some cobwebs away. I like his each-way chances, a lot.
By Dave Massey
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