18 January 2019 | Alan Parker
When the 12yo gelding Hokonui Ben won a claiming race last night at Cranbourne (17th January 2019) he revived memories of a Gloucester Park win exactly five years earlier.
On 17th January 2014 Hokonui Ben led throughout to win the Group One $400,000 WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park with Clinton Hall at the reins.
Trained at the time by Gary Hall Snr, Hokonui Ben started on the third line of betting at $6.50 and beat his stablemate Toretto by a short half-head with the Michael Brennan trained This Time Dylan a further five metres away in third place.
In what may be somewhat of an omen, two starts prior to his WA Pacing Cup win, Hokonui Ben had won the Group Two Village Kid Sprint and tonight’s favourite My Field Marshal is in the identical position – two starts ago he won the Group Two Village Kid Pace.
Hokonui Ben won 14 races in WA, 11 while in the Hall stable and three with Aldo Cortopassi. He had won six races in New Zealand before being brought to Australia.
After last night’s win at Cranbourne his record stands at 25 wins from 124 starts and his stake earnings now stand at $683,857.
Like his WA Pacing Cup win, Hokonui Ben led throughout last night as the Washington VC gelding relived his pinnacle racing moment exactly five years earlier.
One would like to think the gelding knew exactly what he was doing last night as he beat another former Gary Hall trained horse in Mohegan Sun.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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