Dante Festival: Mill Stream out for Duke Of York honours

Mill Stream will aim to continue his rise up the sprinting ranks on Wednesday when he takes his place in a field of 15 for a hot renewal of the Group Two 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes, the £150,000 highlight on day one of the season-opening Dante Festival on the Knavesmire.

The Jane Chapple-Hyam trained colt won in Group 3 and Listed company in France before finishing sixth in the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock Park last year.

He reappeared for 2024 when finishing second in the Group 3 Abernant Stakes at Newmarket last month. Washington Heights beat Mill Stream by three-parts of a length on that occasion and reopposes once again.

Azure Blue, the winner of the 2023 race, is trained in Darlington by Michael Dods and goes to post facing no less than four rivals from the powerful Yorkshire stable of trainer Karl Burke, plus contenders from both Kevin Ryan and Tim Easterby, as northern yards send out nearly half the field.

Mill Stream is drawn in five and will be partnered by both national and York champion jockey, William Buick. It will be the four-year-old’s third run at the track, having finished fourth to Chaldean in the 2022 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes and then third of 21 in last season’s Oakmere Homes Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap. 

Newmarket-based Chapple-Hyam said: “Maybe not the best draw, but we’ve got a good jockey who knows him and the horse has improved from the Abernant, so we’ll try and be in the shake-up.

“I feel being back on a flat track will make a big difference rather than that first run into the dip at Newmarket. The change back on to a flat track is definitely a plus.

“He’s raced there, so he knows the track and he’s a very good traveller. He’s coming up overnight.”

Chapple-Hyam is hoping to take the Peter Harris-owned Mill Stream to Royal Ascot next month for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

She added: “That’s the plan but we’ll be guided by how he performs Wednesday.”

Chapple-Hyam is confident that Mill Stream has improved from last year, not least because of natural physical progression.

She said: “When they are three, they are not as mature as older sprinters that are more conditioned to taking on these high-class sprint races.”

Wednesday’s other Group race is the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes in which Friendly Soul will aim to preserve her unbeaten record.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly are 2/2 for a stable that has won the extended mile-and a-quarter Group 3 on no fewer than eight occasions, including the last two renewals.

The Dante Festival, which gets underway on Wednesday with the 2.15pm Sky Bet Race to the Ebor Jorvik Handicap.