IT’S been seven long months but racing returns to York today and Knavesmire is the scene of two cracking contests on the opening stanza of the three-day Dante Festival.

The Derby contenders go at it tomorrow but the fillies take centre stage this afternoon in the Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes with a £65,000 prize pot up for grabs.

Five go to post with the favourite expected to be Henry Cecil’s Arizona Jewel. A maiden winner at Sandown last month, she is a half-sister to Powerscourt – the Great Voltigeur Stakes and Arlington Million winner – and highly rated.

North Yorkshire hopes are held by Richard Fahey’s improving Barefoot Lady. Winner of the Nell Gwyn Stakes, the three-year-old was then a creditable fifth in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket at the start of this month.

Looking like she would appreciate the step up to a mile and a quarter, both Fahey and champion jockey Paul Hanagan are hopeful of a big run as she tries a new trip.

Fahey admits to being slightly worried about the ground getting too soft and, in terms of runs, she is the most exposed horse in the contest. But, in her favour, she is tough and resilient and should run a big race if she stays.

Amazing Beauty represents the Irish winning machine of Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable. A Dundalk maiden winner over a mile and a quarter last month, the daughter of Galileo made all and Ryan Moore takes the mount.

Joviality, trained by John Gosden, has yet to break her maiden. Although she clearly has ability, this may be a big step up for her – as it will also be for Whey Sauce, who is without a win in two runs.

It is a select, but quality, field and, if she finds the required improvement at ten furlongs, it could well pay to side with Barefoot Lady and the red-hot team of Fahey and Hanagan.

The pair also have strong claims in the feature race of the day, the six furlong £100,000 Duke of York Stakes, with Rose Blossom. All speed, her below par run in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York can be written off after the application of headgear set her alight.

She blistered away in the Nunthorpe before fading and, with the visor removed, she will have a massive chance if settling to the task.

The standard is set by top-weight, and likely favourite, Markab.

Henry Candy knows how to train sprinters and Markab won the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock last time out. Group 3 honours have also come at the Curragh and Markab was runner up in last year’s King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

It’s his first run at York and he should be in the mix.

An interesting runner is Delegator for Godolphin duo Saeed bin Suroor and Frankie Dettori. The five-year-old was second in both the 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes and has never run over this trip in his career.

His chances really depend on whether he has the speed to cope – and pundits are split on that. I worry he might find things happening a little too quickly for him.

If he doesn’t, he is a classy contender.

So is Genki. Roger Charlton’s horse sprang a 12-1 shock when winning the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket last month and the trainer reckoned that run would only bring him on further.

Regal Parade, a winner of the Prix de Maurice Gheest last season for Sessay sprint specialist David Nicholls, cannot be discounted and should strip fitter for his fifth placed run in the Gladness Stakes on his reappearance at the Curragh.

North Yorkshire is also represented in the race by Brawby trainer Geoff Oldroyd with Ladies Are Forever and Tim Easterby with Hamish McGonagall.

Ladies Are Forever didn’t stay in the Nell Gwyn and has dropped back to six furlongs. She might be in above her head – having just turned three-years-old and pitched in against older, more seasoned competitors.

She gets a weight-for-age allowance, receiving 18 pounds from top-weight Markab, but Ladies Are Forever will probably need all of it to come out on top against a field of Group race contenders.

Hamish McGonagall is a three-time winner at York and is an interesting runner if he copes with the step up to Pattern-race company. With defending champion Prime Defender also in the 14-strong field and a host of other high-class sprinters – including the relatively unexposed and fancied Dalghar - it should be a fantastic dash down the straight course to crown an excellent return to racing on Knavesmire.