Granny Hawkins

The numbers across her career tell an interesting story. From 14 races she has won 3 and placed a further 8 times, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 5 outings. But the recent sequence — third, first, first, first, second, seventh reading from most recent back — suggests a horse that has genuinely found her stride. She races mostly at Class 5 level, the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, and has won 2 of 8 races at that grade, a rate of 25%. Nothing flashy, but honest and competitive.

Where Granny Hawkins really makes her case is at Hereford. She has won 2 of her 3 races there, which is the kind of record that makes trainers keep coming back to the same track. Some horses simply suit a particular course — the bends, the ground, the layout — and Hereford appears to bring out the best in her. Her trainer Alan King, based at Wroughton in Wiltshire, knows a thing or two about placing horses well. His yard has sent out 57 winners already this season, which is the output of a seriously well-run operation.

The partnership with jockey Tom Bellamy is worth noting too. In 6 races together, Bellamy has ridden her to 3 wins — that is a win rate of 50%, an extraordinary ratio that speaks to a real understanding between horse and rider. When Bellamy is in the saddle, Granny Hawkins tends to deliver.

One note of caution comes from King himself, who mentioned after a fall at Hereford in late 2024 that she needed stitches and that wet, heavy winter ground does not suit her. She has clearly come through that setback in fine form — her last win came at Stratford-on-Avon in April 2026 — but it is a useful reminder that she is at her best when conditions are on her side. With Alan King managing her campaign carefully, and Bellamy presumably in the irons when it matters, Granny Hawkins looks like a horse with more wins still to come.