Empowered, trained like Authorized by Peter Chapple-Hyam, is one of the 76 entries announced today for the 2008 totesport.com Dante Stakes which is run over an extended 10 furlongs on the second day of York's May Festival, Thursday, May 15.

The York race is the richest Derby trial with £150,000 in prize money and easily the most important because three of the last four winners have gone on to Classic glory at Epsom Downs - Motivator (2005) and North Light

(2004) as well as Authorized in 2007.

Declared to make his debut at Leicester tomorrow in a near 10-furlong maiden, the three-year-old son of Fasliyev is held in obviously high regard by connections.

"We've entered Empowered in the totesport.com Dante Stakes but we won't know how good he is until he runs tomorrow." explained Richardson.

"Obviously, being related to Authorized, Peter (Chapple-Hyam) has a soft spot for him but I think the proof will be in the running. Once he's had an outing, we'll know what ground and trip he likes but we do hope he will be good enough to run in the totesport.com Dante Stakes.

"He's one of those horses who grew a lot as a two-year-old and was quite backward. Also, I think Peter had a few horses who were coughing towards the end of the season and he was one of them.

"We just a took a view that we'd let Empowered get over that and hopefully he'll be a stronger and fitter horse for it."

Aidan O'Brien, successful in the totesport.com Dante Stakes with both Saratoga Springs in 1998 and Septimus in 2006, has made a huge entry of 23 including Curragh maiden fourth Washington Irving, who is a Montjeu half-brother to Epsom and Darley Yorkshire Oaks heroine Alexandrova.

O'Brien is also represented in the entries by Listed Eyrefield Stakes winner Alessandro Volta and Achill Island, runner-up to the Brian Meehan-trained City Leader in the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot in September.

Other well related three-year-olds from his yard include King Of Westphalia, out of a Group One winner and full-sister of Irish 1,000 Guineas scorer Yesterday, Tale Of Two Cities, a full-brother to six-time Group One winner High Chaparral, and Hawk Wing's Fusaichi Pegasus half-brother Zulu Chief.

Sir Michael Stoute's totesport.com Dante Stakes quintet is headed by Confront, while the nine Godolphin entries trained by Saeed bin Suroor include Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Rio De La Plata, Group One Racing Post Trophy victor Ibn Khaldun and McCartney who is being aimed at the race after winning three times last year including the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

Four from Henry Cecil's Newmarket base include the unbeaten Twice Over, who was a comfortable maiden winner at headquarters over a mile before stepping up to 10 furlongs at the same course for a conditions stakes, which the son of Observatory won in good style. His other entries are dual winners Jack Dawkins and Kandahar Run, along with debut runner-up Timetable, who is an Observatory half-brother to last season's Group Three Tattersalls Musidora Stakes heroine Passage Of Time.

IRISH RAID LIKELY FOR YORK SPRINT

The £100,000 Group Two Duke Of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes is another highlight of York's May Festival and the six-furlong contest on the opening day, Wednesday, May 14, has attracted a bumper 55 entries.

County Kildare-based handler Kevin Prendergast is considering running the four-year-old Haatef, who proved himself to be a top-class sprinter in the making with a swooping victory on his latest start in the Group Two Diadem Stakes at Ascot on September 30.

Prendergast revealed today: "Haatef has been entered in the Duke Of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes at York and he could go there. He's also entered in the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh in the middle of April, but it depends on the ground where he runs. He's doing well and I am happy with him.

"He's won on good ground, but he wouldn't want it too fast. In last year's 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket the ground was too fast for him, but it was a bit better when he won at Ascot and I'm pleased with the way he's wintered.

"I think that six furlongs would be his ideal trip now. I was lucky enough to train several members of his family and his full sisters Ulfah and Walayef both won nice races over the trip and we'll be aiming him at some of the top sprints this season."

Other notable entries in the Duke Of York Hearthstead Homes Stakes include last year's Darley July Cup winner Sakhee's Secret and the Royal Ascot Golden Jubilee Stakes victor Soldier's Tale.

Poule d'Essai des Poulains scorer Astronomer Royal and US Ranger are among the five Aidan O'Brien-trained entries, while Rising Shadow, Assertive and Al Qasi, who all chased home Amadeus Wolf in this race last year, are also engaged.

ROYAL AND REGAL PLUS SERGEANT CECIL AIMING AT EMIRATES AIRLINE YORKSHIRE CUP

Group Two winner Royal And Regal, who was formerly trained in France by Andre Fabre, has been entered in the £140,000 Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup on the third and final day of the York May Festival, Friday, May 16, by his new handler, Michael Jarvis.

The Newmarket-based trainer today reported the four-year-old to be acclimatising well to his new surrounds and is in good form ahead of the Group Two event. He also outlined plans to run Peter Savill's colt in a Group Three as a prep to York's valuable mile and three quarter race.

"The Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup is certainly one of Royal And Regal's targets. He came from France to me during the winter and he's settled into things well and is coming along nicely.

"He's obviously a nice horse and is in good form at home. He may have a prep run in the John Porter Stakes over a mile and a half prior to the Yorkshire Cup but we'll just have to see if he's ready enough for that Newbury race."

Rod Millman is hoping that Sergeant Cecil will return to his best in the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup, a race which the nine-year-old took in brave fashion from fellow entry Geordieland last year.

Millman commented: "The plan is to run Sergeant Cecil in the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup. He's had a nice long holiday and I'm very pleased with him."

Sergeant Cecil has won four of his six starts at York, including the totesport Ebor handicap in August, 2005, as well as Group Two victories in the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup at the same meeting a year later and the re-routed GNER Doncaster Cup the following month.

Millman continued: "He always seems to run well at York. He put in a career best performance in last year's race, which was great considering he had to carry a penalty. He was suffering from a lung infection towards the end of last season, when he ran badly in the Lonsdale Cup at York, so we decided to put him away for the year.

"He won't have to carry a penalty in this year's race. It's obviously great to win a Group One and on the day you think it's fantastic, but when you have to keep conceding weight to all of the other horses, it makes life a bit tough. There were also some really good stayers coming through, but our boy still won £95,000 and four years ago we wouldn't have believed he would come so far.

"He'll probably have his first race in the John Porter at Newbury before going on to York, just like he did last year. He's been on the go a long time, but if anyone can still do it as a nine-year-old, Sergeant Cecil can.

Look at Persian Punch, he was still winning races at ten!"

The 39 horses entered for the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup are headed by dual Ascot Gold Cup scorer Yeats. His trainer Aidan O'Brien has five horses engaged, including last year's St Leger runner-up and Melbourne Cup third Mahler and the talented Septimus, winner of the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup at York and the Doncaster Cup in 2007.

Sixties Icon, who won the 2006 Ladbrokes St Leger run at York, has also been entered along with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Prix-Royal Oak and Goodwood Cup heroine Allegretto, the 2007 Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe runner-up Youmzain and the 2006 Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup winner Percussionist.

The first day of York's May Festival on May 14 is the start of 15 days of quality racing on the Knavesmire, offering record prize money of more than

£4.6 million and climaxing with the four-day Ebor Festival, on August 19-22, boasting the Group One Juddmonte International, Group One Darley Yorkshire Oaks and the Coolmore Nunthorpe, as well as the totesport Ebor, Europe's richest Flat handicap.