THE three-day Dante Meeting finishes at York Racecourse today and, while the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup is the feature race, all local eyes will be fixed on Richard Fahey's Miss Work Of Art in the opening Listed Marygate Stakes.
The Malton trainer's juvenile filly is an odds-on favourite for the ten runner five furlong contest and Fahey has high hopes for his daughter of Dutch Art.
A winner first time out at Lingfield at the end of March, Miss Work Of Art stepped up again to beat the highly regarded Magic City in a conditions race at Ascot.
Fahey has reported her to be in brilliant form and reckons she will only be toppled by a good filly on Knavesmire.
If she comes through with flying colours, the Musley Bank trainer has indicated she might go to the Cheveley Park rather than Royal Ascot in June.
The newly formed British Champions Series takes its first stop at Knavesmire this season as the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup opens the stayers' division of the contest.
Usually an intriguing clash between the generations – as the old stagers take on the best of the up and coming brigade – Askar Tau looks to have a good chance of building on his win in the Sagaro Stakes last month.
The five-year-old, a winner of the Lonsdale Cup at the 2009 Ebor Festival, beat Akmal by two and a half lengths in Berkshire and looks a very real contender.
Should Miss Work of Art do the business in the opener, she could also pave the way for a rash of North Yorkshire-trained winners to close up the Festival.
Great Habton-based Tim Easterby has spoken highly of Deauville Flyer and Kieren Fasllon takes the ride on the five-year-old in the sportingbet.com Jorvik Stakes.
Four times a winner at distances between a mile and a half and two miles, on versatile types of ground, Deauville Flyer triumphed over course and distance last season and Fallon has won on him in the past.
World number one golfer Lee Westwood part owns Hoof It with his manager Chubby Chandler and the four-year-old could give Fallon a York double in the sportingbet.com Stakes.
With a host of other contenders across the seven race card, it could be a fabulous day for local handlers. Fingers crossed.
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