Hawaiian Sound was a lightly made bay horse with a white sock on his right hind leg, bred by Arthur B. Hancock III's Stone Farm near Paris, Kentucky.
[2] After finishing second on his debut, Hawaiian Sound recorded his first success in a six furlong maiden race at York Racecourse in July winning by three lengths from fifteen opponents.
On his final appearance of the year, Hawaiian Sound finished eighth of the twelve runners behind Dactylographer in the William Hill Futurity after being badly hampered in the early stages.
[2] Hawaiian Sound began his three-year-old season in March 1978 when he won a minor event over one mile at Kempton Park Racecourse, beating Sharpen Your Eye by three lengths.
Shoemaker sent Hawaiian Sound into the lead from the start and the colt looked the likely winner in the last quarter mile but was caught in the final strides and was beaten a head by Greville Starkey on Shirley Heights.
[6] In the Irish Derby later that month he fought against Shoemaker's attempts to restrain him and after taking the lead in the straight he was beaten in a three-way photo-finish by Shirley Heights and Exdirectory.
In July, Hawaiian Sound was matched against older horses for the first time when he contested the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot Racecourse.
He failed to reproduce his form in two subsequent outings, finishing unplaced in the Prix Ganay and running fourth in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.