Trained by Hamad Al Jehani at Newmarket, Defence Minister broke through at Newmarket itself on 17 August 2024 and has since collected two more victories. The most recent came at Kempton Park on 28 March 2026, but that was five months ago—a significant gap that suggests either injury, a period out of form, or simply a quiet spell in the yard. Its recent record, looking at the last six races, reads as 3-7-–-17-1-9, which translates to a third place, a seventh, a miss, a 17th-place finish, a win, and then a ninth. That sequence does not inspire confidence: only two points from the last six outings is hardly the form of a horse ready to beat better rivals.
Where Defence Minister might find opportunity is at Class 3 level, where it has won 1 of its 3 races entered—a 33 percent win rate at that grade. It remains active, having raced just a day ago, so the yard clearly believes there is still work to be done. If it can rediscover the form that saw it win at Kempton and maintain a focus on those shorter sprinting distances where it genuinely competes, Defence Minister could yet add to its tally. For now, though, it reads as a horse that has shown what it can do on occasion but has not quite put together the kind of run that would elevate it beyond a mid-field operator.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascot Galloping |
3 | 3 other | 18 Jun | 0% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
2 | 1 win, 1 other | 28 Sep | 50% |
| Sandown Park Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 third | 29 Aug | 0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
2 | 2 other | 29 Jul | 0% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
1 | 1 win | 28 Mar | 100% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 | 1 win | 5 Sep | 100% |
| Newbury Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 17 May | 0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 14 Sep | 0% |