Val Dancer

The headline moment came on 27 December 2024, when Val Dancer won a Class 1 race at Chepstow — one of the top races in Britain. That is the Welsh Grand National, one of the most prestigious staying races in the calendar, and it put Val Dancer firmly on the map. Trainer Mel Rowley, speaking to ITV afterwards, said he had taken time to bring the horse along because he was raw and unpolished early in his career, but that patience had clearly paid off. What makes the win even more striking is what came next: two days after one of the most gruelling races in the sport, Val Dancer was reportedly so full of energy that jockeys at a local point-to-point event were queuing up to ride him in the men's open. Rowley described him as "blooming and in rude health" — not the usual picture after a horse has run four miles through midwinter mud.

And mud is very much his thing. On genuinely wet and muddy ground, Val Dancer has won 2 of his 3 races (67%) — a remarkable return that tells you everything about where his ability really shows up. Rowley flagged this early, noting after a run at Carlisle that the horse "really wants cut in the ground." When conditions are soft and heavy, he transforms.

His most recent six races have brought no wins, and his last victory now stands 16 months ago. But those runs include a mixture of placed efforts and he remains an active, healthy horse with a clear plan ahead. Rowley has been eyeing a February return, with the Haydock race — understood to be the Peter Marsh Chase — on the horizon. Regular partner Alex Edwards has ridden him to 2 wins from their 8 races together, winning 1 in every 4, and the Bridgnorth yard has already sent out 12 winners this season. There is every reason to think Val Dancer has more to say, especially when the rain arrives.