ITV Racing Tips: Best Bets For Day 3 Of York Dante Festival

It's the third and final day of York's Dante Festival on Friday 15 May. The feature race of the day is the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup, which has attracted a strong field of stayers. Five races on the Knavesmire will take place in front of the ITV Racing cameras. Steve Chambers previews all the live action and picks out his best bets during the afternoon...

14:20 York - Sky Bet Fillies' Stakes

A cracking listed event kicks off the live action at York, with seven smart fillies bidding for glory in the 14.20 contest. Plenty line up with taking wins on their CV already, but the one that can improve the most and land victory here is Synchronicity for Ed Walker and Kieran Shoemark. The daughter of Night Of Thunder cost a whopping 900,000gns and is a sister to top-class, proven Group 1 winner Ombudsman.

She won impressively on debut at Newbury, where she stormed to a two-length success. That form has been franked with several of her beaten rivals going on to win following that contest and she certainly dealt with those contenders in style. This is a notable step up in class, but she's entitled to take her chance and could be the one that turns into a possible Coronation Stakes filly, which is a Group 1 contest run at Royal Ascot next month.

The likes of So Regal, Fashion People and Lilt all look exciting fillies, but it's the Walker filly that can shine brightest in this intriguing race.

14:55 York - Support Macmillan Charity Raceday On 13 June Handicap

Hugely impressive last time out at Newcastle, Warrant Holder looks to be a handicapper on a rapid incline and is entitled to be market leader for the 14.55 at York. However, the John & Thady Gosden-trained improver will need to defy a 10lbs rise in a hotter contest, so could be worth taking on. York form is often valued and the winner of this race 12 months ago Thunder Run can duly deliver the goods once again on Friday.

Karl Burke's charge edged out Tony Montana in this race in 2025, and that pair do battle again here. Thunder Run often struggled following his win here, but that does mean he's dropped back down the handicap for this contest. Now rated 100, he's back to last year's winning mark, so he has to be respected. He will have top weight in this contest, but it's often his second run of the season that brings about his best performance on the track.

He blew the cobwebs away last month at Kempton when last of seven, but this will certainly have been the target at the start of the campaign, and the five-year-old can retain his crown.

15:30 York - Design Tonic Out Of This World Spaces At The Races EBF Marygate Fillies' Stakes

Amo Racing will unleash two smart fillies in the 15.30 race, with both Lady Blanche and Lover Girl looking very smart prospects. The latter is the pick of David Egan and the unbeaten daughter of Gregorian has shaped like she could be very smart. She was very green when winning at Wolverhampton on debut, but she improved on that effort next time out when landing a Salisbury conditions event.

She made all the running that day and she could look to dominate this contest in similar fashion. Easing down that day, she still nearly won by two lengths, so there's plenty more to come from her. Princess D'Orange could be her main danger and the once-raced filly was another that dominated on the front end on her impressive four-length win last time out.

The pair are likely to be battling it out for the lead through the early stages of this contest, and could well pull clear of their rivals. However, with more experience on her side Lover Girl can maintain her 100% record on the track for Kevin Phillipart De Foy and this listed event.

16:05 York - Boodles Yorkshire Cup Stakes

Wins in the Cocked Hat Stakes and King George VII Stakes last season propelled Amiloc into the upper echelons of middle distance three-year-olds. Runner-up in the Irish St Leger, he then went and finished a fine fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf in the United States. Now set for his hotly-anticipated return in the Yorkshire Cup at 16.05, the Ralph Beckett-trained raider looks the one they have to beat.

A real top notch performer over one-mile-and-a-half, the son of Postponed will look to sparkle over 1m 6f in Friday's event, but he showed he stayed that trip in the Irish St Leger. He will face some notable rivals in this event, with Rahiebb and Epic Poet looking two of the main dangers, but Amiloc is the proven class act in this contest. He holds a Coronation Cup entry, so could look to be using this as a stepping stone, but if he can emulate his Royal Ascot win of last season then he's surely too good for his rivals here.

He's relatively short in the betting for this event, but it certainly lacks any significant strength in depth and Beckett's charge can duly outclass his rivals and use this victory as a stepping stone to bigger things later in the year.