CROWDED HOUSE, decisive winner of the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster last October, makes his eagerly awaited return to action at York tomorrow as he bids to confirm his prowess as a leading Derby contender.

Trainer Brian Meehan is going down a tried-and-tested Derby route by running his exciting colt in the totesport.com Dante Stakes, a race with a rich history of proving a timely stepping-stone to Epsom glory.

So can Crowded House follow in the hoofprints of such as North Light, Motivator and Authorized, who have all completed the Dante-Derby double in the last half-dozen years?

Meehan is certainly optimistic and so too is his jockey, Jamie Spencer, who feels the three-year-old has the right credentials to make a bold challenge for Britain’s premier Classic.

The step up to an extended ten furlongs tomorrow should be ideal for Crowded House, who came from off the pace to pulverize his rivals in the Racing Post Trophy, a victory which promoted him to the head of the ante-post Derby betting for the winter.

Now comes reality and he faces nine rivals tomorrow, including the Aidan O’Brien-trained Freemantle and Black Bear Island, the unbeaten Nehaam and Redwood and Glass Harmonium, who represents Sir Michael Stoute, successful 12 months ago with Tartan Bearer, the subsequent Derby runner-up.

As always, the Dante promises to be rich in Derby clues. And the bottom line is that Crowded House will need to prevail tomorrow to keep his Derby dream alive.

Dar Re Mi, the mount of Frankie Dettori, can lift the main supporting race, the £65,000 totepool Middleton Stakes.

Trained by John Gosden, Dar Re Mi, who finished third to Lush Lashes in the Musidora Stakes at this meeting last year, went on to win at Listed and Group 3 level before filling the frame in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille at Longchamp.

She looks set for a good year as a four-year-old.

Tim Easterby can keep the local flag flying high in the opening totesuper7 Handicap with Hamish McGonagall, the mount of David Allan.

Successful at this meeting last year, Hamish McGonagall ran a fine race on his reappearance at Musselburgh a fortnight ago when finishing fourth to Jaconet. Sure to have benefited from that outing, he can make a bold assault here and is awarded the nap vote.

Richard Fahey also has good prospects of a winner, courtesy of Extraterrestrial in the £40,000 Toteswinger Hambleton Handicap. Winner of last year’s Thirsk Hunt Cup, the five-year-old looks better than ever this season and comes here on the back of a valuable triumph in the Newbury Spring Cup. It may be asking a lot to fancy him to land another sizeable pot off his revised handicap mark, but he rarely runs a bad race and should be thereabouts, along with Mia’s Boy, last year’s winner of this Listed event.


Racing selections

York (today)
1.40 Albaqaa (NAP), 2.10 Photographic, 2.40 Sariska, 3.10 Equiano, 3.45 Rosbay, 4.20 King Of Axum, 4.55 Marching Time.

Today’s other meetings:
Bath, Exeter, Fontwell and Perth.

York (tomorrow)
1.40 Hamish McGonagall (NAP), 2.10 Dar Re Mi, 2.40 Crowded House, 3.10 Extraterrestrial, 3.40 City Dancer, 4.20 Beethoven, 4.55 Kayf Aramis.

Tomorrow’s other meetings:
Newmarket, Salisbury, Perth, Folkestone, Ludlow.