Hawk Wing's injury at Royal Ascot caused him to finish out of the first two for the only time in his 11 races on turf. Bred by Hill 'n' Dale Farm and raced by Sue Magnier, he was a group I winner at ages two through four, and scored at that level at seven, eight, and 10 furlongs. Hawk Wing's first group I win, in the 2001 Aga Khan Studs National Stakes, was gained in course-record time. The effort earned him an International Classification rating of 122, which placed him only behind the international champion Johannesburg.

Hawk Wing's next grade I win came in the 2002 Coral Eurobet Eclipse Stakes (Eng-I), the same year he ran second in two classics--the Vodafone Epsom Derby (Eng-I) and Sagitta Two Thousand Guineas Stakes (Eng-I). He also was group I stakes-placed in Ireland that season and was assigned high weight on the English and Irish handicaps at 9 1/2 to 11 furlongs.

This year, Hawk Wing won the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes (Eng-I) by 11 lengths in his first start since finishing unplaced in last year's Breeders' Cup Classsic (gr. I). He exits racing with five wins from a dozen starts and $1,604,286 in earnings.