Bonfire ignites Derby dreams

Andrew Balding’s Bonfire emerged as the most serious threat to Investec Derby favourite Camelot with an impressive comeback performance in the Betfred Dante Stakes at York yesterday.

The son of Manduro could hardly have promised more in his two starts as a juvenile, looking a class-act on his racecourse debut at Salisbury before finishing a luckless third in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.

His seasonal return had been shifted to Britain’s most high-profile Epsom trial from last week’s Dee Stakes at Chester due to the rain-softened ground on the Roodee and it proved a wise decision.