THEY'RE OFF! Big race fever grips York this week for the start of another thrilling season. Thursday's highlight is the Dante Stakes, the oldest and richest Derby trial. Brilliant winners of this Knavesmire showpiece have gone on to triumph at Epsom and Hugh MacDougall looks at five of the most famous.

YOU could be seeing history in the making when the totesport Dante Stakes is run on Knavesmire in two day's time.

If the winner on Thursday goes on to take the Epsom Derby it will be a historic Dante hat-trick, the first time York's big trial scorers have captured the Epsom crown for three years running.

North Light did the double two years ago and Motivator repeated the feat last year. Only once before have two successive Dante winners gone on to glory in that Derby the same year Sharhastini and then Reference Point in 1986 and 87 respectively.

The Dante Stakes, for three-year-olds and run over one mile and two furlongs, is now in its 48th year and is a Group Two race with £145,000 prize money. It was first run in 1958. The race has produced eight Epsom Derby winners: St Paddy (1960), Shirley Heights (1978), Shahrastani (1986), Reference Point (1987), Erhaab (1994), Benny The Dip (1997), North Light (2004) and Motivator (2005).

The name of the York race has a close link with the Middleham-trained Dante, the last Yorkshire winner of the Derby. Dante, trained by Matt Peacock and ridden by Billy Elliott, won the wartime substitute Derby run at Newmarket.

The name Shirley Heights is among the most renowned in racing history as probably the most famous three-year-old in the sport. This brilliant stallion was bred at the Garrowby Stud near York and owned by the then Lord Halifax, chairman of York Race Committee. Shirley Heights raced to triple big race glory in 1978.

After claiming the Dante on Knavesmire, with Greville Starkey in the saddle, Shirley Heights became only the fifth horse in racing history to take both the English and the Irish Derbies.

Hawaiian Sound, ridden to victory by Lester Piggott in that year's Benson and Hedges Gold Cup at York, was pipped by Shirley Heights in both those Derbies.

Reference Point was the famous son of an even more famous father, Mill Reef. He was trained by Henry Cecil and ridden by the classy young American Steve Cauthen. His triumph in the Dante heralded a stunning year for the three-year-old.

He scored a sensational-start-to-finish success in the Derby, battling hard to beat off a challenge by Most Welcome. And two months later he became the first horse since the legendary Nijinsky to win the Derby and the St Leger.

The 1997 Dante winner Benny The Dip, trained at Newmarket by John Gosden, won one of the most thrilling finishes in Derby history.

After winning his season debut, a Classic trial at Sandown, he produced an excellent performance on Knavesmire. Given an inspired ride by young Frenchman Olivier Peslier, Benny The Dip gradually went clear to beat closest rival Desert Story by two and a half lengths.

Willie Ryan rode Benny The Dip to a thrilling success in the Derby, when they just held off a spirited challenge by Silver Patriarch, ridden by Pat Eddery, to win by a short head.

In August that summer, Benny The Dip returned to York and finished third in the Juddmonte International behind winner Singpsiel and Desert King.

Two years ago North Light was given a magnificent ride by the then champion jockey Kieren Fallon to take the Dante crown. Fallon took North Light ahead with five furlongs to go and held on to win by half a length after a late surge by Frankie Dettori on Rule of Law. This was trainer Sir Michael Stoute's fourth Dante triumph.

The following month, Fallon staged a repeat victory at Epsom, North Light once again beating Rule of Law, who was ridden in the Derby by Aussie Kerrin McEvoy.

And last year it was the turn of Motivator to achieve a rare Dante-Derby double. Newmarket trainer Michael Bell's star was ridden to glory on both occasions by Irishman Johnny Murtagh.

Having only his third race, the even-money Dante favourite drifted to the right in the closing stages on Knavesmire as The Geezer tried to peg him back, but Motivator got home by one-and-a-half lengths. Last June, Motivator powered to a brilliant five-lengths triumph in the Derby to great scenes of jubilation among his owners, the Royal Ascot Racing Club syndicate.

So the stage is set for another great Dante day on Thursday, with hopefully a historic hat-trick come next month's Epsom Derby.

Updated: 11:33 Tuesday, May 16, 2006