The Derby picture received a major shake-up on Thursday when Pride Of Arras sprung an 18/1 shock success in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York.

Aidan O'Brien's The Lion In Winter went off the odds-on favourite for the 10-furlong contest but, having played up behind the stalls and run very freely in the early stages, Ryan Moore's mount faded tamely in the closing stages.

Trained by Ralph Beckett and ridden by Rossa Ryan, Pride Of Arras scored by a length and a quarter from the eyecatching Damysus, a Frankel colt trained by John and Thady Gosden for Wathnan Racing.

Pride Of Arras was himself unbeaten coming to York, having won his maiden at Sandown last August. A delighted and somewhat surprised Beckett said the New Bay colt had "complications" in the autumn and had again been difficult to train this spring, and that he only hoped that the horse would "run well" on his comeback. He said he expects Pride Of Arras, a homebred for owner David Aykroyd, to take a significant step forward both mentally and physically on his next start, which is likely to be at Epsom.

Connections are taking encouragement that two of the Dante winner's siblings (Sweet Fantasy and Patient Dream) have won around Epsom.

Pride Of Arras is the 5/1 third favourite for the Derby now, behind Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix (5/2) and Charlie Appleby's Ruling Court (7/2). Dante runner-up Damysus is priced at between 10/1 and 14/1.

The Lion In Winter is out to 6/1 and stable companion Twain is a general 10/1 shot.

Earlier on the card the four-year-old filly See The Fire romped to a 12-length victory in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes. Trained by Andrew Balding for owner-breeder Jeff Smith, See The Fire ran with credit against the likes of City Of Troy and Anmaat in Group 1 company last year.

Down in class and back against her own sex here, the daughter of Sea The Stars effortlessly dismissed her seven rivals under a confident Oisin Murphy.