Square Du Roule

His first win came at Exeter in November 2025, which, given he had been racing for some time without getting off the mark, would have been a significant moment for Nigel Hawke's yard. Hawke trains out of Stoodleigh in Devon and has sent out nine winners so far this season — a solid return for a small rural operation. Square Du Roule has just added to that tally in the most timely fashion, winning at Wincanton this week, on 1 April 2026. Back-to-back wins — or wins within the same short spell — are a genuine sign of a horse in form, and right now he looks like the best version of himself.

The most interesting subplot here involves his regular jockey, James Davies. The two have partnered up 13 times without finding the winner's enclosure together — 0 from 13 is a striking record, and yet those two victories have come with someone else in the saddle. That is not a criticism of Davies, who is a capable rider, but it is a curious quirk of the partnership. The yard will be asking some quiet questions about whether that combination is the right one going forward.

Most of Square Du Roule's racing has come at Class 5 level — the entry-level tier of British jump racing — where he has won just 1 of 16 races, a rate of roughly 1 in every 16 attempts. That tells you he has spent most of his career finding things a little tougher than expected at even the most accessible level. The two recent wins will have raised a simple question: has he just needed time to mature, or has something changed in how he is being prepared? At six years old, with a streak of form behind him, this is exactly the moment to find out.