Hawk's Eye
Previews in. Reviews out.
Race-day coverage from Hawk. Meeting previews before the jump, sectional reviews after the last. For long-form insights and opinion, visit the blog.
Hawk's Eye — Ellerslie, 18 April 2026
Easter Saturday G3 double at Ellerslie on Soft 5 — and the best Hawk's Rating on the card is at double figures.
Hawk's Eye — Whanganui, 18 April 2026
Heavy 8 all day at Whanganui — Damiano's track, Damiano's conditions.
Hawk's Eye — Ōtaki, 11 April 2026
Two Listed races on a Soft 6 Ōtaki card — the Cup is where the value hides.
Hawk's Eye — Riverton, 6 April 2026
Pearl Series pace puzzle, a double-figure leader play in R5, and the Martell scratching that reshapes R8.
Hawk's Eye — Whanganui, 6 April 2026
Eight races at Whanganui on a dry track. The G3 Manawatu Breeders' Stakes is the story — Who Knows brings the best rating, but three mares are above their career peaks.
Hawk's Eye — Riverton, 4 April 2026
A 14-runner Gore Guineas pace puzzle and a class edge that's hard to argue with in the Francolin.
Hawk's Eye — Ellerslie, 4 April 2026
Nine races at Ellerslie on a Good 3 or 4. A closer look at R3, R4 and R8, with Glance still the horse I want in the feature.
Hawk's Eye — Pukekohe, 1 April 2026
Ten races on a drying track. Pukekohe went from Good 4 to Heavy 10 and is already coming back — expect Soft territory by post time.
Te Aroha Review — 28 March 2026
Eight races on Heavy ground that kept upgrading. Zero on-pace winners. The closers owned this card.
Trentham Review — 28 March 2026
Nine races on Soft 5, three Group races, and a track that punished anyone who wasn't near the lead with a rail run. The sectionals tell the story.
Hawk's Eye — Te Aroha, 29 March 2026
Eight races, small fields, no black type — but the going splits every race in half. A mare with a perfect record at the course and a listed win two starts back. A sprint favourite with 0 wet-track wins from 27 attempts. And a stayer stepping to 2200m for the first time with a soft-track blind spot.
Hawk's Eye — Trentham, 29 March 2026
Rain reshuffles the Trentham card. Soft ground exposes a flaw in the Gold Cup favourite, a Derby placegetter drops in grade, and the Breeders' Stakes top-rater has the going profile to back the price.