Success for The Hawkstonian – Clarkson’s Syndicate Star Wins First Race

Last Updated on August 15, 2026

Jeremy Clarkson’s six-year-old gelding The Hawkstonian finally broke his duck at Ffos Las on Friday, battling through heavy ground to land the tigerbet.co.uk Best Odds Guaranteed Novices’ Hurdle over two miles.

Breakthrough at Ffos Las

The Hawkstonian lined up in the 1.50 at Ffos Las, a Class 4 novices’ hurdle over 1m7f182y on officially heavy ground. Sent off around 13-2, he faced seven rivals, including odds-on favourite Turenne and eventual runner-up Emerald Breeze.

Ridden positively by Ben Jones, the grey was always close to the pace before taking over three out and committing for home. He briefly looked in trouble after brushing the penultimate hurdle, but he gathered himself on the long, testing run-in and found enough to hold Emerald Breeze by three-quarters of a length. Turenne could only manage third, giving the gelding his first win at the sixth attempt.

Why this win mattered

For Clarkson, it was his first winner as a racehorse owner, achieved with a horse named after his Hawkstone lager and cider brand. The Hawkstonian runs in the colours of Hawkstone Racing, an Old Gold Racing syndicate that sold 3,250 shares at £60 each, bringing a large group of small shareholders to west Wales for the occasion.

Many stood through the rain and mud at Ffos Las to see the gelding deliver on the promise they had been backing. Clarkson himself was not on course, but marked the moment in his usual dry style on X: “Hawkstonians. I’m receiving word that our horse triumphed today at the Blue Ditch course in Wales. I’m going to celebrate with a beer.”

For someone more used to horsepower of the mechanical kind, it was a different sort of engine finally firing.

A tongue tie, testing ground, and a “rocket”

Ben Jones has previously described The Hawkstonian as “an absolute rocket at home”, but the gelding had failed to translate that into racecourse results, with five defeats across bumpers and hurdles. Third at Sedgefield in November and fifth at Huntingdon in December, he looked like a horse still learning his trade.

Two factors appeared to make the difference at Ffos Las. He wore a tongue strap for the first time, which Jones felt suited him and helped him finish his race properly. The heavy ground also played to his strengths, allowing him to travel and stay better than he had before.

The winning time of 3m 58.88s, some 22.88 seconds slower than standard, underlined how demanding conditions were.

Training patience pays off

Trainer Ben Pauling has shown patience with the grey, and this success suggested things are starting to click, with The Hawkstonian travelling more professionally and showing grit when pressure came.

Jones noted that when Emerald Breeze came alongside, the gelding lowered his head and battled all the way to the line rather than giving in, exactly the response connections want to see from a novice. The win also completed a quick double on the card for the jockey, who later landed the three-mile handicap hurdle on Sparkling Duke.

A syndicate with something to toast

For Old Gold Racing and the Hawkstone Racing syndicate, this was the sort of day owners hope for. A competitive race, a close finish, and their horse in front where it mattered.

Chief executive Ed Seyfried admitted that standing in the rain and mud felt very worthwhile once the result was confirmed. Celebrations carried on away from the track, with members encouraged to raise a glass at Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog, while The Hawkstonian’s own social media summed it up neatly: “Buy that horse a beer.”

After a slow start to his career, The Hawkstonian now has a win on the board, and plenty of people with a good reason to celebrate it.