We are set for three days of top-class flat racing action as York hosts their Dante Festival.
Many big names will get their season going this week in York, but who will be forward enough to take advantage of these early season group races?
Get the best horse racing odds from the best horse racing betting sites here.
Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes runner by runner betting guide – 6f
2 Inisherin (1)
- Age: 4
- Weight: 9st 10lb
- Form: 61150-
- Rating: 116
- Jockey: Ryan Moore
- Trainer: Kevin Ryan
- Odds: 9/4
Having been outstayed in the 2000 Guineas on his seasonal bow last year, Inisherin was quickly dropped back to 6f and looked like a horse who would dominate the 6f Group 1 scene. He blitzed his rivals in the Group 2 Sandy Lane and followed that with an even better performance at Royal Ascot in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup when shooting clear inside the final furlong to win by over two lengths.
Things didn’t go as planned during his final two starts of the season when he was a beaten favourite on both occasions in Group 1s. He had a wind operation in March, and if that operation has aided him, then this highly talented colt can get back on track today and resume his dominance over 6f.
Star rating: 
5 Night Raider (3)
- Age: 4
- Weight: 9st 10lb
- Form: 00511-
- Rating: 105
- Jockey: Oisin Murphy
- Trainer: Karl Burke
- Odds: 5/2
The switch to front-running tactics and the all-weather brought out the best in Night Raider last season. He has won four of his seven starts to date, but all of those four wins have come on the all-weather.
Granted that only one of his three turf starts has come over 6f, it’s surprising that he is so short in the betting, all things considered. I could be proven wrong, but he is unlikely to get away as he did against lesser opposition on the all-weather, and if he is to get his first win on turf, he will need to show a side to him that we have yet to see.
He’s an interesting runner and will be the clear pace of the race, but he’s not a betting proposition at his current price.
Star rating:
1 Elite Status (4)
- Age: 4
- Weight: 9st 10lb
- Form: /1180-
- Rating: 112
- Jockey: Clifford Lee
- Trainer: Karl Burke
- Odds: 4/1
Elite Status is a three-time winner at the Group 3 level, and it is only a matter of time before he makes his breakthrough at this level. His best form has come on good to firm ground, which he will get today.
He is two from two on his first start of the season and also recorded a win after a 63-day break last season, so expect Elite Status to be primed and ready to go for today’s test. If Inisherin doesn’t fire today, Elite Status will be ready to pick up his first Group 2 win.
Star rating:
Bet on Elite Status with talkSPORT BET
7 Flora Of Bermuda (2)
- Age: 4
- Weight: 9st 7lb
- Form: 21453-
- Rating: 111
- Jockey: P J McDonald
- Trainer: Andrew Balding
- Odds: 6/1
A Group 3 winning filly over course and distance, who has also been placed in the Group 1 Champion Sprint Stakes on her final start of last season, has serious claims if she is ready to go on her first start of the season.
But today may not be the day to catch her. Flora Of Bermuda has been a filly that has progressed with each run in her last two seasons, and today could be a similar story on ground that may be a shade on the quick side.
Star rating:
Bet on Flora Of Bermuda with bet365
4 Marshman (6)
- Age: 5
- Weight: 9st 10lb
- Form: -11233
- Rating: 110
- Jockey: Sam James
- Trainer: Karl Burke
- Odds: 14/1
Wind surgery and the switch to the all-weather have given Marshman a new lease of life this season. He has won two of his four starts on the artificial surface, including a listed race over 6f, but he is coming up against some proper high-level group performers today. He will have race fitness on his side, but he will find a few that are too good for him today.
Star rating:
Bet on Marshman with Paddy Power
3 Kerdos (8)
- Age: 5
- Weight: 9st 10lb
- Form: 15546-
- Rating: 108
- Jockey: Rossa Ryan
- Trainer: Clive Cox
- Odds: 18/1
Kerdos is an honest and consistent sprinter who acquitted himself well last season, notably when being beaten three lengths and just over four lengths in a pair of Group 1s over 5f.
He has won over 6f on his first two career starts, but he is an out-and-out 5f sprinter. He will travel well into the closing stages but lacks the gear change to go with some of the leading contenders here. He will run well and could sneak into a place if one or two are underprepared on their return.
Star rating:
8 Rage Of Bamby (5)
- Age: 5
- Weight: 9st 7lb
- Form: 01421-
- Rating: 104
- Jockey: Charles Bishop
- Trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton
- Odds: 20/1
A winner of last season’s York Dash over course and distance, Rage Of Bamby has shown her best form at this track under these ground conditions, but this race looks too hot for her on her seasonal return. She has the pace to go well for a long way, but the class of her rival will be enough for them to pull away in the closing stages.
Star rating:
Bet on Rage Of Bamby with Ladbrokes
6 Royal Zabeel (7)
- Age: 4
- Weight: 9st 10lb
- Form: 1-1216
- Rating: 111
- Jockey: Tom Marquand
- Trainer: Michael Appleby
- Odds: 28/1
Royal Zabeel is a decent performer on the all-weather (three form five) and ran his best race on turf when beaten just over two lengths in a Group 3 at Newmarket in April, but he was still sixth of the seven runners. On all known forms, he will be found wanting at this level.
Star rating:
Bet on Royal Zabeel with bet365
Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes verdict
The Duke of York always seems to deliver, and this year’s renewal looks no different.
Night Raider will be a player if he can translate his all-weather form back to turf, but the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum-owned pair of Elite Status and Inisherin look like the ones to concentrate on, with a preference for INISHERIN.
This Group 1 winner looked to have the 6f division under lock and key after his dominant display in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot before two below-par efforts at the end of last season put a dampener on his season. With a wind op and the benefit of a break, Inisherin can return to winning ways under Ryan Moore.
About the author
Andrew Halligan
My name is Andrew Halligan, horse racing pundit and founder of YouTube’s The Finishing Line Podcast. Horse racing is a thrilling spectacle that captivates audiences around the world with its blend of drama and excitement. Whether you’re a jumps or flat fan, I will use my experience of working within the horse racing industry to bring the best of what this sport has to offer.
You can follow Andrew on X (@Halligan88).
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Most read in Betting
