Moving Force

The win came at Beverley back in May 2024, and it remains the only time Moving Force has reached the winner's enclosure. That was 25 months ago now, and the six races since have produced nothing better than a runner-up finish. The recent form figures — 2, 9, 14, 5, 8, 2 — tell the story of a horse that occasionally flashes ability but cannot quite put a race together consistently. The pair of second-place finishes bookending that sequence shows the talent is still there; the gaps in between show how frustratingly elusive it has been.

What makes the picture more interesting is the level at which Moving Force has been asked to compete. Three of its races have come in Class 2 company — among the top races in Britain — and it has not won any of them. That is ambitious placing by trainer Mark Loughnane, whose yard at Rock Farm in Worcestershire has sent out 25 winners already this season, which is a strong return and suggests a team that knows what it is doing. Loughnane clearly believes Moving Force belongs at a decent level, even if the horse has not yet proved him right at that grade.

Jockey Oisin Orr has been in the saddle for five of those seven career races and was aboard for the Beverley win. Between them they have won 1 from 5 — a 20% win rate together, which is actually better than the horse's overall record and hints that the partnership has something to it. Moving Force raced just one day ago, so this is a horse firmly in the mix right now. Whether another win is coming may depend on whether Loughnane drops the grade slightly and gives it a race it can win, rather than one it is merely competing in.