New Monarch

That breakthrough win came at Kempton Park on 18 March 2026, and it is no coincidence it arrived over a distance between seven furlongs and a mile. At those trips, New Monarch has won 1 from 4 races — a 25% win rate, or one in every four — which is a noticeably better return than its overall record. Some horses simply need time to find their optimum distance, and New Monarch looks like one of them. When the conditions suit, it delivers.

Behind the scenes, New Monarch is trained by Andrew Balding at his Kingsclere yard in Hampshire — one of the most productive training operations in Britain right now. Balding's team has sent out 199 winners this season alone, which is an extraordinary volume. Having a horse with a stable in that kind of form is a significant advantage; horses tend to arrive at the track fit, well-prepared, and ready to run. New Monarch's recent seventh-place finish, just a day ago, confirms it is active and being kept busy, and with a yard firing at this rate, the next opportunity is rarely far away.

The recent form — finishing seventh last time, but with a win and two runner-up spots in the five races before that — paints a picture of a horse that is not yet consistent but has genuine ability on its day. At three, that is entirely normal. These horses are still maturing, still learning, and the best of them often make a significant jump in the second half of their season. If New Monarch can recapture the form that won at Kempton and get back to racing over its preferred distance, another win would not be a surprise at all.