Val Dancer: The Welsh winner from ‘the little yard in Shropshire’

While Mel may not yet know what the next step is, she admits that the decision to enter the Welsh National for the first time with Val Dancer was only taken after Charlie Deutsch, who had won on him before, then won comfortably over three miles two furlongs at Carlisle at the start of November – and thought he would comfortably stay half a mile further over the Welsh National’s three miles and six furlongs.

“We were a little bit reluctant to bring him but, when Charlie Deutsch rode him at Carlisle and said that the horse was made for the Welsh National, that made up our minds,” she said.

“Charlie Deutsch was elsewhere, so our other Charlie (Hammond) took up the reins.”

Val Dancer has now won six times since he had his first run in May 2022, finishing second in a bumper – a flat race run under the rules of jump racing – at Worcester, then going over hurdles at Aintree in the November.

His first win quickly followed at Bangor three weeks later and he then moved up to steeplechase fences in November 2023 at Ludlow, followed by three straight wins round the turn of the year in heavy conditions at Leicester, Wetherby and Catterick.

His three victories have been under three jockeys, Hammond, Deutsch and Alex Edwards, who have now all won on him twice. But this latest was not a complete surprise to the Rowleys.

“We knew the horse was really well,” said Mel. “He’s come of age this year. He’s grown a personality and become much more confident in his own ability. We knew he was in a good place.

“He needs softer ground and another concern was that it wasn’t going to be soft enough. Yet he’s travelled so well, maybe we can now consider all sorts of ground.

“But he is only seven. He has age on his side. He will tell us. That’s the most important thing. He’s got plenty of time.”