Valiant Force

The standout moment came on 22 June 2023, when Valiant Force broke through at the highest level, winning a Class 1 race at Ascot — a significant achievement that marked both the horse's career breakthrough and its first win in any race. It was the kind of moment that promised bigger things ahead. Yet since that June day nearly three years ago, the horse has not won again. Its recent form tells the story: a second-place finish followed by a string of seventh-place finishes, nothing close to the winner's circle. The last win came at Dundalk on 6 February 2026, eight months ago, and while that is not ancient history by racing standards, it is long enough to raise questions about where this horse is headed.

Robson Aguiar's yard at Mullingar has had a productive season with sixteen winners to its name, and David Egan, the horse's most frequent partner, has ridden Valiant Force in thirteen races for two wins — a modest 15% return. What makes Valiant Force worth watching is whether the trainer can rediscover what made it click at Dundalk and, more ambitiously, whether that Class 1 victory at Ascot was a glimpse of genuine top-level ability or simply a bright flash on an otherwise ordinary record. For now, the horse remains active and racing, but it is a long time since it last found the winner's enclosure.