ITV Racing Tips: Gosden’s Lion can roar to Dante Stakes success

The Dante Festival continues on Thursday afternoon with the Group 2 Dante Stakes providing the highlight.

Roaring Lion is the hot favourite for the feature race, ahead of challengers including Crossed Baton, Mildenberger and Wells Farhh Go.

There’s also action from the Group 2 Middleton Stakes, a pair of Class 2 Handicaps and a Fillies’ Handicap from Salisbury.

We’ve got you covered for all of the day’s racing with our ITV Racing tips…

NAP – Roaring Lion – 3:30, York

While there may be no doubting Roaring Lion’s quality, there are question marks over whether he can stay the 1m4f distance.

The colt failed to live up to expectations in the Craven but returned to form with a creditable fifth in the 2000 Guineas earlier in the month.

Trainer John Gosden has won two of the last three renewals of the Dante Stakes and would not be entering the three-year-old here if he didn’t think he had a solid chance of success.

The colt is the standout name in the field and can bounce back to winning ways as long as he can handle the step up in trip.

NB – Chain of Daisies – 2:55, York

Coronot and Mori will be vying for market favouritism by the time the Middleton Stakes get underway at 2:55.

But it’s the Henry Candy-trained Chain of Daisies who catches our eye after concluding 2017 with a handy 2l success in a Listed contest at Newmarket.

The six-year-old likes to front run and should get her way once again over the 1m2f distance.

She’s the only consistent performer in the field over the distance and if she can steal a lead on her opponents, we think that the daughter of Rail Link can hack up for a second course and distance success.

Lively Longshot – Larchmont Lad – 4:05, York

There’s plenty to like about David O’Meara’s charge Larchmont Lad ahead of this Class 2 Handicap contest.

For a start, the four-year-old has done well in difficult black-type renewals over the last two years.

Victories in the Tattersalls Stakes in 2016 and a pair of runner-up berths in Listed contests last year are certainly not to be sneezed at by anyone’s standards.

That should make a drop into Handicap Company for the first time an enticing prospect for prospective each-way punters.

He’ll go off a fair mark for his exploits, and we’re hoping his experience and quality shows out over the 1m distance. Jockey Daniel Tudhope has an encouraging 30% strike-rate over the last-14 days to add to the selections claims.

ITV Racing Tips:

2:20 York – Gracious John (each-way)

2:40 Salisbury – Time Change  

2:55 York – Chain of Daisies (NB)

3:30 York – Roaring Lion (NAP)

4:05 York – Larchmont Lad (Lively Longshot, each-way)

All Odds and Markets correct as of date and publication