Monarch's Gold

The early signs were promising. Monarch's Gold broke its duck at Kempton Park in September 2025, then backed that up with a second win at Southwell in October. Two wins in two months suggested a horse hitting its stride at just the right time. But that Southwell success, now seven months ago, remains the most recent victory on the record — and the last six races have produced nothing better than a runner-up finish, with a couple of those runs returning blank results entirely.

To be fair, there is life in the recent form. Two second-place finishes in the last six races tell you this is not a horse that has fallen off a cliff — it is competing, pressing, just not quite getting its nose in front when it matters. Racing is unforgiving like that. Finishing second five times in a career and twice in recent races is the kind of record that suggests a horse is consistently good enough to be there, but perhaps waiting for conditions or a race setup that suits it perfectly.

The operation behind Monarch's Gold gives genuine reason for optimism. Kevin Philippart De Foy has sent out 40 winners from his Newmarket base this season alone — that is a yard in serious form, not one that is stumbling through the calendar. Horses trained at Newmarket tend to be well-prepared and well-placed, and a trainer firing at that rate does not leave a horse with two wins and a hatful of places in races it cannot win. The belief is clearly there that Monarch's Gold has more to offer. With a race just yesterday confirming it is fit and active, the next winning opportunity may not be far away.