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York Knavesmire, the long galloping straight that hosts the Dante Festival

Racing festival · Flat

Dante Festival, York

Wed 12 - Fri 14 May 2027York Racecourse

Three days at York including the Dante Stakes, a key Derby trial, plus the Musidora (Oaks trial), the Yorkshire Cup (Gold Cup pipeline) and the rebranded Minster Stakes (formerly Duke of York Stakes).

Feature raceDante Stakes (Thu, G2), Derby trial
Countdown189 days
Duration3 days
Nearest stationYork

Day by day

  1. Wed 12 MayDay one, headlined by the Musidora Stakes.
  2. Thu 13 MayDante Stakes day: a Group 2 over a mile and a quarter for Derby hopefuls.
  3. Fri 14 MayYorkshire Cup day: a Group 2 over a mile and three-quarters for stayers.

Where it is

CourseYork RacecourseYork, North Yorkshire
Nearest stationYork
Your race day

Which day are you going?

Pick a day and everything below, including the rooms, is for that day.

The straight at York looking towards the stands, the turf striped by the mower and the clock tower to the left.

Photo credit: “York Racecourse” by Matthew Wragg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)

Wed 12 May to Fri 14 MayDante Festival, YorkThree days at York including the Dante Stakes, a key Derby trial, plus the Musidora (Oaks trial), the Yorkshire Cup (Gold Cup pipeline) and the rebranded Minster Stakes (formerly Duke of York Stakes)..

The racing

The racingMusidora Stakes, Minster Stakes, Dante Stakes, Middleton StakesThe races, the history and how the meeting runs, in our guides. Racecards are further down the page.York course guide

Plan your tripStay · travel · tickets · wear

Advertisement · Where to stayLateRooms.com
Rooms near York: all three nights

Check in Wed 12 May, out Sat 15 May, 2 adults, 1 room. Hotels, inns and B&Bs around the course on LateRooms.com.

Or a holiday cottage near YorkSelf-catering holiday cottages, for groups and longer stays. More cottages and holiday homes to compare.
  • AdCottages.com: 3 nights for the price of 2 (arriving Friday) or 4 for 3 (arriving Monday). Selected stays, subject to availability. Ends 31 Dec.
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Getting there · includes advertsYork station · sat nav YO23 1EXPre-book a driveway or car park space near the course. Train times and tickets to the course's station on Northern.YourParkingSpaceAdNorthernAdTravel guide
TicketsWhich enclosure to bookThe enclosures compared, with what each one includes.Enclosures
What to wear · includes advertsThe dress code, enclosure by enclosureStatement occasionwear, dresses and jumpsuits. Occasion dresses, from modest to mini. Luxury occasionwear and wedding-guest dresses from London.Aven RowAdMALOAAdRaishmaAdDress code
  • AdRaishma: 15% off everything with code RAISHMAX15. One use per customer.
Picnic and drinks · advertsFor the car park picnicCocktail gift sets for the car park picnic. Champagne and vintage wine, delivered next day.Cocktail CratesAdVintage Wine GiftsAd

Photos on this page are used under Creative Commons licences. Titles, sources and licence links for each one are on our image credits page.

Every race with a book at 10 festivals, added up and ranked: the dearest, Galway, charged 72% more than the cheapest, Champions Day. Dante Festival runs Wed 12 - Fri 14 May 2027 and joins this table once the week is settled.Rendered from data to 17 October 2026.
What this shows, in words

A bar chart of 10 race meetings ranked by the bookmakers' overround, the margin over a fair book. Champions Day 17.7% on an average field of 12.3; St Leger Festival 21.4% on an average field of 11.5; Killarney July 23.0% on an average field of 10.6; Irish Derby 23.8% on an average field of 11.8; Epsom Derby 23.9% on an average field of 12.4; Glorious Goodwood 24.8% on an average field of 13.4; Irish Champions Festival 25.3% on an average field of 13.6; Ebor Festival 28.1% on an average field of 15.1; Royal Ascot 29.0% on an average field of 18.2; Galway 30.5% on an average field of 14.6. The dearest charged 72% more than the cheapest, race for race, across 276 races. The average field is shown beside each bar; the dearer meetings tend to run bigger fields, though not in strict order. Data to the end of the newest meeting in the set. Research, not tips.

Headline races

Musidora Stakes (Wed, G3), Oaks trial
Minster Stakes (Wed, G2), sprint headliner
Dante Stakes (Thu, G2), Derby trial
Middleton Stakes (Thu, G2)
Yorkshire Cup (Fri, G2), Gold Cup pipeline

Our Dante Festival coverage

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