Dubai: Several smart prospects with Dubai connections will be hoping to impress when York stages its first meeting of the season, the prestigious three-day Dante Festival, which kicks off at the Knavesmire track on Wednesday.

Top sprinters, including Muthmir — owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance — and new Godolphin purchase Lightning Moon, are among the 15-strong field that will contest the opening day’s feature event, the Duke Of York Stakes (G2) over a fast 1,200 metres.

A course and distance winner in the Sky Bet Dash last July, the William Haggas-trained Muthmir is rapidly evolving into a high-class sprinter and can endorse that assumption with by winning a race that his sire, Invincible Spirit, landed in 2002.

Lightning Moon is an exciting addition to the powerful Godolphin stable. The son of Shamardal was unbeaten in three starts last season, which culminated in a thrilling Group 3 victory at Ascot in October. He is trained by the Newmarket-based Ed Walker, who is seeking a first career Group victory.

Italian-born handler Marco Botti saddles Naadirr, the third horse in the race with Dubai connections, his owner being Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.

Botti issued an upbeat bulletin ahead of his recent Cammidge Trophy winner’s second start of the season, saying: “Naadirr won his Listed race very well and this has been the plan since then. That race has worked out very well and it looks strong form.

“He likes a flat track, which is why we gave Newmarket a miss and decided to go straight to York.

“He won at York last season and goes there in good form. I hope the ground is good — there isn’t any rain forecast between now and then, so hopefully it dries out a little,” he told Sporting Life.

“He has got the pedigree to be a proper sprinter and I was really pleased how he did physically from age three to four.”

The other main race on the opening day is the Musidora Stakes (G3), a 2,100-metre contest for fillies, which in the past has proved to be a valuable pointer to the Epsom Oaks (G1, June 5).

‘Fabulous curtain-raiser’

This year, all Group races at the Dante Festival have benefited from an significant hike in prize money, which means the meeting will for the first time offer prize money in excess of £1 million (Dh5.7 million.)

William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course, told York Racecourse’s website: “The Dante Festival is a fabulous curtain-raiser with quality racing the central theme. We hope both the upgraded race and wider investment in the race programme will be rewarded with the same fabulous racing as we have seen in recent times.

“As we have already shown, contenders for the Dante’s feature races are likely to be regulars on the big race circuit throughout the year ahead, so racegoers can look forward to seeing them at York in May.”

Day two of the fixture sees the three-year-old colts put their Epsom Derby credentials on the line in the Group 2 Dante Stakes, which in the past has been won by the likes of North Light, Motivator and Authorized, all of whom progressed from the Dante to Epsom glory in the 2000s.

The meeting comes to a close on Friday with the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup, the top staying race at the Festival.