YORK

York is widely regarded as the best Flat racecourse in the North, while some would extend that to include the whole of the British Isles. The Dante Festival in mid-May sees major trials for both the Derby and the Oaks run in the form of the Dante and the Musidora, respectively. Golden Horn landed the Dante/Derby double in 2015, while the Queen’s Carlton House narrowly failed to do the same in 2011, having won the Dante before finishing a close third in the Derby itself. Later in the season, there is a host of top-class racing at York’s Ebor Festival during August, where Group 1 highlights include the Juddmonte International, the Yorkshire Oaks, and the Nunthorpe, as well as Saturday’s highlight, the Ebor Handicap.