Godolphin win Dante Derby trial with Hurricane Lane as High Definition finishes third
High Definition #HighDefinition
Hurricane Lane galloped into Epsom contention with victory in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes at York.
Unbeaten in two races prior to lining up on the Knavesmire, the Godolphin colt kept his perfect record intact in the Cazoo Derby trial.
All of the ten runners were under pressure up the straight, as Hollie Doyle kicked clear on the leader Roman Empire, her first ride for Aidan O’Brien.
The pack reeled the pair in approaching the furlong marker, with Hurricane Lane (5-1) coming home slightly stronger than Megallan (14-1) – and there was three-quarters-of-a-length between them at the line.
Winter ante-post Derby favourite High Definition (13-8f) ran on in eye-catching fashion in third.
Winning jockey Will Buick said: “I was very pleased, this is the most important trial.
“It looked like a strong renewal of the Dante and this race always throws up a Derby candidate.
“This horse is still learning on the job, he jumped out and we got ourselves a nice position where I could just leaved him alone and build him up when I wanted to.
“It rode like a good race, for a trial it was a true-run race.”
Paddy Power cut Hurricane Lane’s odds to 6-1 (from 12-1) for the Derby at Epsom. High Definition is unchanged at 9-2, while the price of favourite Bolshoi Ballet was trimmed to 6-4 (from 7-4).
Golden Horn was the last horse to complete the Dante-Derby double in 2015 – and the York race has produced ten Epsom winners in total.