Hawkbill

Background

Hawkbill is a chestnut colt with a broad white blaze and long white socks on his hind legs bred in Kentucky by the Helen K Groves Revokable Trust. As a yearling in September 2014 Hawkbill was offered for sale at Keeneland and bought for $350,000 by the John Ferguson on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin organisation. The colt was sent to race in Europe and entered training with Charlie Appleby at Godolphin's British base in Newmarket.

He was sired by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey's stallion Kitten's Joy the U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse of 2004. His other offspring include Stephanie's Kitten, Bobby's Kitten and Big Blue Kitten. Hawkbilll's dam Trensa won three races from nineteen starts in the United States between 2006 and 2010. Her grand-dam Mochila was a half-sister to Cozzene.

2015: two-year-old season

Hawkbill began his racing career by finishing ninth of ten in a five furlong maiden race at Newbury Racecourse on 17 April. He was of the course for two months before returning in a similar event over seven furlongs at Kempton Park Racecourse in which he finished third behind They Seek Him Here after leading for most of the way. In a maiden on the Polytrack surface at Lingfield Park Racecourse in July he was partnered for the first time by William Buick, who became his regular jockey. Starting the 11/10 favourite he took the lead a furlong out and won by a neck from Lazzam to record his first victory. Hawkbill's two remaining starts of 2015 were on the Polytrack course at Kempton. On 18 August he carried top weight of 133 pounds in a nursery handicap and won by three and a quarter lengths after leading for most of the way and drawing clear in the straight. He was then moved up in class and distance for a race over one mile on 9 September. After leading from the start and going three lengths clear early in the straight he was hard-pressed in the final strides before prevailing by a head from the Richard Hannon, Jr.-trained Steel of Madrid.

At the end of the season Hawkbill was sent to spend the winter at Godolphin's base in Dubai.

2016: three-year-old season

On his first appearance of 2016, Hawkbill started a 14/1 outsider in an eight-runner field for the Listed Newmarket Stakes over ten furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse in which his opponents included the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere runner-up Cymric. After tracking the leaders he went to the front approaching the final furlong and won by one and a quarter lengths from Abdon with the favourite Sky Kingdom in third. The colt was stepped up in class again at Royal Ascot when he was one of nine colts to contest the Group Three Tercentenary Stakes on 16 June. Abdon and the Cocked Hat Stakes runner-up Prize Money started 4/1 joint favourites ahead of the unbeaten Long Island Sound, with Hakwbill next in the betting on 11/2 alongside Blue de Vega (third in the Irish 2000 Guineas. After racing in third place behind the outsider Race Day, Hawkbill took the lead approaching the final furlong and stayed on to win by one and a quarter lengths from Prize Money, with a gap of almost three lengths back to Long Island Sound in third. After the race Appleby commented "We didn’t know how good he was until he went to Newmarket and since then he’s thrived. It was a great ride from William and a great win for the team".

On 2 July Hawkbill was moved up in class and was matched against older horses for the first time in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park Racecourse. The odds-on favourite was the Irish colt The Gurkha who had won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains before being narrowly beaten in the St James's Palace Stakes. Hawkbill was next in the betting alongside My Dream Boat (Prince of Wales's Stakes and Time Test (Joel Stakes). The other three runners were Western Hymn (Brigadier Gerard Stakes), Bravery (fourth in the Irish 2000 Guineas) and Time Test's pacemaker Countermeasure. Hawkbill tracked the leader Countermeasure before taking the lead two furlongs out but was soon challenged and headed by The Gurkha. The two colts engaged in a prolonged struggle in the closing stages before Hawkbill gained the advantage in the final strides and won by half a length. Time Test took third ahead of Countermeasure. Buick commented "Hawkbill is a very good horse. He goes on the ground very well and the future is very bright for him". John Ferguson added "He's a horse that has improved and the sky is the limit for him. I think it's going to be a really enjoyable time now thinking where to go. There's no hurry and the horse has a great future in front of him."

Hawkbill bypassed the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and reappeared in the International Stakes at York Racecourse on 17 August. Starting the 6/1 second favourite in a strong field he tracked the leaders but weakened in the last quarter mile and finished eighth of the twelve runners behind Postponed. In the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse on 16 September he started a 16/1 outsider and finished ninth, twelve lengths behind the winner Almanzor.