Valiancy

Trained by William Haggas at his Newmarket yard — which has sent out 170 winners this season alone — Valiancy appears to be thriving under experienced hands. The last win came at Hamilton Park on 17 May this year, four months ago now, which suggests the horse has been racing through without another success in that time. Recent form tells an interesting tale: from the last six runs, Valiancy has finished 28th, 9th, 6th, 1st, 1st, and 2nd. That's two wins tucked into the middle of the sequence, sandwiched between less impressive efforts. It points to a horse that can deliver on its day but lacks absolute consistency.

With places in six of its ten races overall, Valiancy clearly belongs in a race and competes for a finish most times out. The horse raced just a day ago, so it remains actively campaigned and sharp. The question now is whether Haggas can engineer another moment at the right level — not too soft, not too hard, but pitched just right for a horse that has shown it can win Class 2 races but struggles to win at Class 4. That contradiction, oddly, is Valiancy's defining characteristic: a horse that rises to a challenge far more effectively than it copes with easier assignments.