Hawkbill, winner of the G1 Eclipse as a three-year-old and the runaway winner of last year’s G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, will stand at Darley in Japan for the 2020 breeding season.
A son of leading American sire and five-time Champion turf stallion Kitten's Joy, Hawkbill put up a fine run of consecutive victories at two and three. Winning by mid-July as a juvenile, the striking chestnut brought up a six-timer with an easy win in the Listed Newmarket Stakes on his three-year-old debut, decisive success in the G3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot and then, his career highlight, outbattling French 2,000 Guineas winner The Gurkha – who won the Sussex on his next start – in the G1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. Hawkbill's performance that afternoon was rated the equal of Roaring Lion's win over Saxon Warrior in last year's running.
He was at his best again in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic last spring, galloping away from a field which included six G1 winners. At the line, Poet's Word was three lengths back in second. In a busy 24-race career, Hawkbill also enjoyed success in the G2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes, the G2 Dubai City Of Gold and the G3 Aston Park Stakes.
Hawkbill retired to stud as the leading earner by Kitten’s Joy – in fact, the only horse from the increasingly influential El Prado sire line who ever won more is fellow Darley stallion Medaglia d’Oro.
Hawkbill, who was a $350,000 yearling, is out of a mare by Eclipse winner Giant's Causeway who has since produced 2017 juvenile G1 winner Free Drop Billy, and his third dam is a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and leading sire, Cozzene. Further back, this is the Portage family of Godolphin colour-bearers Dubai Millennium and Ribchester.
Harry Sweeney, President of Darley Japan, said “Hawkbill is a big good looking and correct horse and I believe he will very much suit Japanese mares. If his progeny look like him, then they certainly will be popular at the sales.”
For further information, please contact the Darley Japan Nominations team on +81 (0)1456 3 1166.
