Hawkeyethenoo Wins the Stewards' Cup

Swoop like a Hawk - Hawkeyethenoo won the Stewards' Cup

Jim Goldie’s admirable sprinter Hawkeyethenoo earned a well-deserved big race win earlier this afternoon, landing the Steward’s Cup at Glorious Goodwood by a nose from Imperial Guest.

Hawkeyethenoo was sent off the 9/1 third choice of the punters and carried 9st9 to victory in the annual cavalry charge travelling strongly throughout the race and leading home the far side group after the twenty-seven runners split in to three groups across the track. Lui Rei was third, with the favourite Waffle fourth and Alben Star back in fifth.

Goldie’s six-year-old has been running well this year and seemingly going from strength to strength. He ran a blinder to finish fifth in his first Group 1 the July Cup last month, only beaten a nose by proven Group performer Ortensia who easily landed a Group 2 at Goodwood on Friday.

He’d also been unlucky in two big handicaps over the last couple of months, first in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot when third after being hampered when making his run and then just two weeks ago in the International Stakes again at Ascot when seventh after getting stuck behind a wall of horses before running on strongly.

Today though Graham Lee, landing another big flat prize since switching from jumps, managed to keep Hawkeyethenoo out of trouble and got a dream run up the rail securing victory in a photo finish.

Lee told Channel 4 Racing after the race that he was “overwhelmed” and said he was “delighted” for the horse. Trainer Jim Goldie rightly told Channel 4 that his “terrific horse” had been “unlucky” this year and suggested that it would be Haydock next for Hawkeyethenoo in the Betfred Sprint Cup.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of this horse and it was great to see him finally land another big prize having been running so well all season; this win will now surely see him handicapped to the hilt though, so expect to see the Scottish flying machine in more Group level races as the season heads in to its latter stages.