Gesture's back - and Arod tackles the Dante

The Gr.2 Betfred Dante Stakes, which is run tomorrow (Thursday, 2.45), is the highlight of the three-day fixture and has drawn six horses, including Qatar Racing's exciting coltArod. He won impressively at Windsor recently, despite becoming lit up and headstrong in the race, and trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam has been teaching him to settle when cantering at home in Newmarket.

Chapple-Hyam, who fitted a nose band to the horse's bridle in order that he would drop his head and sit in behind a lead horse, said: "Arod is in good form. The Dante is going to be a tough race for a horse who has just won a maiden, but we will obviously know a lot more afterwards. He will have needed to have come on from his win at Windsor and the ground is a slight concern - it needs to dry up a bit."

A €170,000 purchase by David Redvers at Goffs' Orby Sale in 2012, the son of Teofilo is quoted at 33/1 for the Investec Derby at Epsom, but when that race was mentioned to Chapple-Hyam he said: "He is the right type of horse, but Thursday will tell us whether we keep going or take a pull."

Key rivals to Arod include Bunker, trained by Richard Hannon, and conqueror of Sunday's French Guineas winner Karakontie in a Listed race last year, and True Story, who was impressive when winning Newmarket's Feilden Stakes recently, and is currently second favourite for Epsom's famous race.

If there is a filly in training who deserves a winning opportunity it is Secret Gesture, who was second in two Classics last year for joint-owners Qatar Racing and Newsells Park Stud. Having finished runner-up in the Investec Oaks at Epsom and Henkel-Preis der Diana at Dusseldorf, the daughter of Galileo took third place in the Gr.1 Yorkshire Oaks. Three placed efforts at the top level suggest she should figure prominently in tomorrow's Gr.2 Middleton Stakes (2.15).

She avoids a penalty, and trainer Ralph Beckett picked out this race in March as a suitable starting point for the four-year-old's season. Jamie Spencer, who rides her and Arod tomorrow, believes she is a stronger filly this year.

Also running for Qatar Racing on tomorrow's card is the Kevin Ryan-trained Gaudy, a son of Dandy Man, who makes his racing debut in a maiden race (4.25).