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Owner and breeder Ken King’s faith in the sire Bon Hoffa brought him the ultimate reward at Caulfield on Saturday.
Bon Hoffa, a G1 winner who stands at Bowness Stud in NSW, was raced by a syndicate headed by Ken King Thoroughbreds.
King also bred and races Bon Hoffa’s son Bon Aurum, the Ciaron Maher-trained sprinter who emulated his sire by winning the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield.Bon Aurum is the first G1 winner by Bon Hoffa and just his second stakes winner. He has won five times with three placings from 13 starts for earnings of $586,550.
Ken King put together the syndicate who raced Bon Hoffa, the Rupert Clarke winner in 2007, and has been a big supporter of the stallion at stud.Bon Aurum’s dam Goldsmobile, by Promontory Gold, won two races and has produced four foals to race for three winners.
She has a 2YO by Domesday and slipped to Kuroshio in 2014. She missed to the same stallion last year.Goldsmobile was also covered by Helmet and Bon Hoffa last year, missing to both. Bon Aurum’s half-sister Miss Galato (Skalato), a winner of two races, will be covered by Bon Hoffa this year.
Bon Aurum won the G3 Guineas Prelude at the same meeting 12 months ago but struggled to find that form in three starts last autumn.He was rejuvenated by a stint of beach work at Warrnambool and won the Listed Tontonan Stakes at Flemington second-up prior to Saturday’s win.
"This horse has taken a lot of work," Maher said. "He has spent a lot of time at Warrnambool - it's a testament to the environment down there at the beach and it's great to get him back and claim a Group One."