Leading Force

The eight-year-old Leading Light gelding Leading Force has won a point-to-point and two chases, and we hope there are many more races to be won with this consistent sort. He is trained by James Owen in Newmarket.

By the Gr.1 St Leger and Gr.1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Leading Light, whose best performers include the ill-fated Gr.1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle winner Three Stripe Life, Leading Force is closely related to the Listed-winning hurdler and Gr.3-placed chaser Robin Des Foret and the Gr.2-placed chaser Port Melon.

Initially running in Irish point-to-points, he gained plenty of experience before winning at Belclare in March 2022, easily beating the subsequent winner Whiskey For Jack by five lengths. Before long he was based with Sandy Thomson in Scotland, for whom he finished second in four consecutive maiden/novice hurdle contests during the 2022/23 season.

Among the horses he finished second to during that spell were Cruz Control, who has since won consecutive renewals of a 3m1f Premier Handicap Chase at the Aintree Grand National Meeting and is rated 143, and Endless Escape, who was competitive in Gr.2 company at the Cheltenham Festival immediately after beating Leading Force.

Clearly mixing it with some talented horses, Leading Force was sent over fences in February 2024 and only needed three starts to break his duck. 

Lining up in a 2m5f handicap chase at Sedgefield last May, he led for much of the journey and jumped with aplomb on his way to a five-length win from a mark of 107. The strength of the form is underlined by the fact that four of his eight rivals have gone on to win since. It was a smashing performance and suggested that there would be plenty more improvement to come.

However, despite finishing second from an adjusted mark of 112 at Market Rasen on his next start, Leading Force struggled to regain peak form. Previous connections went in search of various solutions, tinkering with his headgear and wind without success, but the upshot was that he arrived at the James Owen yard as a very well-handicapped horse.

Making his stable debut at Southwell in May 2025, he finished second and was beaten just a head by the winner in a 3m½f handicap hurdle. Switched to fences for his next outing, he came from last to first to win a 3m Class 4 handicap at Uttoxeter by six and a half lengths, making a mockery of his mark of 97. A fall at Worcester would follow, but he proved that had left no ill effects when runner-up at both Bangor and Cartmel in the second half of June.

Those runner-up finishes confirm that he is still a well-handicapped horse; indeed, his new mark of 106 remains below his highest winning mark and doesn’t factor in subsequent improvement. Leading Force has form figures of 21F22 since joining us and it won’t be long before he adds another winning bracket.