Hawksbill

That single win came at Haydock Park in August 2024, and it remains the defining moment of the horse's career so far. Since then, Hawksbill has gone 6 races without winning, and its recent form — finishing 2nd, 13th, 5th, 12th, 10th, and 7th in its last six outings — shows a horse that blows hot and cold. The second place is encouraging; the 12th and 13th less so. This is a horse that can produce on its day, but consistency has been the missing piece.

What makes Hawksbill genuinely interesting is where it has been asked to compete. A Class 2 race is one of the better races in Britain — the sort of company where only well-above-average horses are entered. Hawksbill has run in seven of them and won none, which sounds damning. But the fact that it keeps being entered at that level tells its own story: trainer Richard Spencer clearly believes the horse has the quality to compete up there, even if the wins haven't come. Spencer's yard at Newmarket has sent out 30 winners this season, so this isn't a trainer throwing darts in the dark. At distances of 7 furlongs to a mile — where the horse appears most comfortable — it has won 1 from 6, a win rate of about 17%, which is meaningfully better than its overall record.

Spencer has spoken warmly about a recent second-place finish at Kempton, noting the horse ran into an impressive winner on the day and came out of the race well. His view is that Hawksbill has more to give, and he's eyeing races that reflect genuine ambition — including the possibility of the Italian 2,000 Guineas, which is a serious international target. For a horse that raced just yesterday and is clearly still being campaigned actively, the story isn't over. Whether Hawksbill can finally translate its talent into wins at the level Spencer believes it belongs is the question worth watching.