Favourite Rolled in G2 Dante- So Who Was the Winner?

Tara Madgwick - Friday May 16

Boom Justify colt Ruling Court would have been resting easy in his box after the running of the Group II Dante Stakes (1m 2 ½ f at York overnight with race favourite The Lion in Winter beaten comfortably in this key lead up race for the Group I Epsom Derby on June 7.

The Coolmore juggernaut have been blazing a trail through Classic lead up races in the UK and Ireland in recent weeks, but it came to a halt when the highly rated Sea the Stars colt lost his unbeaten tag with an underwhelming return.

Last seen beating Ruling Court in the Group III Acomb Stakes (7f) at York back in August, The Lion in Winter did plenty wrong getting worked up before the race and was unsettled in the run before fading.

Advertisement

Victory went to the Ralph Beckett trained New Bay colt Pride of Arras, who won a maiden at Sandown last August in his only previous race and sprung a big surprise here winning by a length and a quarter for Rossa Ryan to put himself in the Derby picture.

Ralph Beckett was delighted with the win, but quick to downplay any comparison with past stable stars.

“He is not Westover, he's not Bluestocking. He does have a very good back pedigree but he doesn't have perhaps the profile of those when it comes to pedigree, but he has more speed than Westover did and he's a better workhorse,” said Beckett.

“It's all in front of us, I hope. If he handles Epsom, which I think he will, and he handles the jamboree, which based on today I think he will, we've every right to think he's going there to be competitive. What happens after that, who knows?”

A homebred for David Akroyd, Pride of Arras is the 21st stakes-winner for Dubawi stallion New Bay and is the best of four winners from Parnell’s Dream, a winning half-sister by Oasis Dream to stakes-winner Kissable, the dam of Group I winner Loving Dream.

There are loads of high class stayers in this family that include St Leger winner Brian Boru, Champion 3YO Colt Workforce, who won an Epsom Derby and an Arc, as well as Caulfield Cup winner Best Solution.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Yes Yes Yes to Stand at Gooree Park Stud
When Yes Yes Yes scored a course record breaking win in The Everest in 2019, the three year-old colt delivered a fairytale result for his ownership group and some of those owners are committed to ensuring his future at stud going forward and they include Julia Ritchie.
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for this season has made us realise how many horses on this list took giant strides from two to three, so we are looking into the crystal ball to find some juveniles we believe could end next season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
One to Watch – Hawkesbury
Super Seth has had three G1 winners in Australia this season and John O’Shea and Tom Charlton have trained two of them, so when they produce a lightly raced maiden winner by this exciting young sire we want to know more.
Sires With Winners - Thursday July 3
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
2026 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable, Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1927 entries for the 2026 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?
Sires With Winners - Wednesday July 2
Here is the full list of 44 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Ireland
We look at a lot of race results at Breednet and when a three year-old half-sister by Wootton Bassett (GB) to Australia’s champion sire elect of 2025, Zoustar, breaks her maiden that is always going to catch our attention.
I Am Unstoppable New for Oaklands Stud
Queenslanders have not had a great deal of opportunity to breed to sons of champion sire I Am Invincible with just two listed to stand in the sunshine state this spring, although we can now make that three with Oaklands Stud announcing the addition of Group I performer I Am Unstoppable.
Lisa Kennedy Recognized for Thoroughbred Welfare
Lisa Kennedy has always had a passion for thoroughbreds, and her efforts in guiding retired racehorses into new careers through EventStars were celebrated at Entain’s Industry Excellence Awards last Sunday as the winner of the Care and Welfare Excellence Award.
G1 Older Sprinters- Are Our Sprinters the Best in the World?
The Australian G1 season has concluded and there were 23 Group I races won by older horses at a distance less than 1600m, but one race that fits the category but is yet to be given G1 status is the $10million Golden Eagle (1500m) and form out of it would suggest it was the best of them all.