York Races trends for Wednesday, May 13, 2026, landed with the opening day of the three-day York Dante Meeting, and the two races drawing the sharpest attention were the Duke Of York Clipper Stakes and the Musidora Stakes. The guide, published by, is a straight historical road map for the live ITV card rather than a race report, but the numbers behind it are hard to ignore.
In the Duke Of York Clipper Stakes, the profile of recent winners is clear enough to shape a betting view. Every one of the last 21 winners had already won over at least 1m2f, 20 of them were aged four or five, and 17 returned at 9/1 or shorter. The same number, 17, finished in the top three last time out, while 16 came from stall 5 or higher. Fourteen of the last 21 winners carried 9-1 or less, 14 had won over 1m4f before, and 13 had raced within the last six weeks. Nine had already run at York. Almosh’her won the race in 2025 at 15/2, and the recent run of results also shows how open it can be: 9 of the last 21 were winning favourites, but 8 were unplaced last time out.
The wider shape of the race adds another layer. The article says 11 of the last 13 winners were four-year-olds, 6 of the last 9 came from stalls 5 to 7, and there were no winners from stall 1. That leaves little room for anyone drawn low to feel comfortable, and it explains why this sprint has often rewarded horses with proven class and the right berth rather than the flashiest recent figure.
The Musidora Stakes carries a different sort of weight because it is treated as a useful Epsom Oaks trial, and the numbers back that up. Of the last 23 winners, 21 were drawn in stall 5 or higher, 19 were aged six or younger, and 19 had won over the trip before. Eighteen had run at York before, 15 carried 8-12 or more, and 14 finished unplaced last time out. Only one of the last 23 was the outright favourite, while 9 returned 7/1 or shorter and 7 came in at either 6/1 or 7/1. Kevin Ryan has won two of the last three runnings, Richard Fahey has won it in 2018 and 2021, and David O’Meara and Michael Easterby also have multiple wins on the roll of honour. Rousing Encore won the race in 2025 at 22/1.
The rest of the record shows why the Musidora keeps throwing up different kinds of winner. Twelve of the last 16 were 14/1 or shorter, 22 of the last 23 came from stall 9 or lower, and 21 of the last 23 were previous Listed or Group winners. Yet there is a wrinkle: 14 of the last 14 winners finished in the top four last time out, which suggests some recent form is still vital even in a race that has not always gone to the market leader. That tension between class, position and consistency is exactly what makes the opening day at York so closely watched.
Whirl won the race in 2025, Snowfall won it in 2021, and the Musidora’s record remains one of the strongest pointers on the card. For punters and trainers alike, Wednesday’s trends do not hand out certainty. They do, however, show where the pressure points are before the first ITV race is even run.
