Hawkbill gets back on the win trail at Newbury

Hawkbill took the spoils in the Coral-Eclipse last season. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Hawkbill and My Dream Boat dominated the finish of the Al Rayyan Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

The pair were both winners of QIPCO British Champions Series races last year and served notice they will again be a force in the Series this year.

Hawkbill, winner of the Coral-Eclipse Stakes in 2016, reaffirmed his relish for soft ground by making all the running.

John Ferguson, CEO and racing manager of Godolphin, said: “It is great to see Hawkbill back to winning ways and hopefully he has a great year ahead of him.

“At Sandown, when he won the Eclipse, he put in a really great performance and Charlie carried on running him to give him experience and get some miles on the clock because he was a relatively mentally immature horse then.

“This year, Hawkbill started out in France and ran OK but he has come here and is a different horse. The ground is important to him and he quickened off the soft going. There are plenty of options for him now.”

My Dream Boat, winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes last year, took time to find top gear but was staying on well at the finish.

Clive Cox, his trainer, said: “We are going forwards and hopefully we will get our day in the sun again with him over a mile and a half.

“The soft ground helps but I think he also has a turn of foot which today might have been harder to show. It is pretty soft out there and it was a good race.”

The pair may meet again in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.