Rising Force

The class picture is telling. Rising Force does the bulk of its racing at Class 6 — the everyday, bread-and-butter level of the sport — and has won 5 of 30 races there, roughly 1 in every 6. That's a solid return at a competitive level, and those five wins represent genuine consistency rather than a lucky streak. The horse has now been racing for the best part of two years, with its first win coming at Chelmsford back in September 2023, and it hasn't stopped finding ways to get its nose in front since.

The recent form is the really interesting part. In its last six races, Rising Force has won twice and thrown in a couple of mid-pack efforts alongside those — form that reads 8-1-13-1-5-5. Two wins from six races is a rate of 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3, which is well above what this horse has managed across its whole career. Something has clicked. The most recent of those victories came at Thirsk just two weeks ago, and with a race logged only yesterday, this is a horse in the thick of a busy campaign.

A big part of that recent upturn looks connected to the partnership with Mr Henry Callan. When Callan rides, Rising Force wins 3 from 8 — that's 38%, or well over 1 in every 3 races together. For context, the horse's overall career win rate is just 14%, or roughly 1 in 7. The numbers suggest these two bring something out in each other that isn't there with other riders.

Behind the scenes, trainer John Butler operates out of Newmarket — racing's most famous training centre — and has sent out 34 winners already this season, which speaks to a yard in good form. Rising Force isn't the flashiest horse on the circuit, but in the hands of a yard firing on all cylinders, with a jockey partnership that clicks, and form pointing sharply upward, this is a horse worth keeping a close eye on.