The Tony Gollan-trained Krone completed the transformation from honest toiler to Group 1 star following a dominant performance in Saturday’s $600,000 Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1600m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Coming off victories in the $1million Fillies and Mares race at the Gold Coast and the Group II Guy Walter Stakes at Randwick, the 5yo daughter of Eurozone burst between runners under Tim Clark to defeat Mizzy (Zoustar) by one and a quarter lengths with Dame Giselle (I Am Invincible) a long-neck back in third.
It was the fifth stakes- success for Krone advancing her record to six five five from 26 starts with earnings of $1,427,650.
“I must admit I was a lot more confident earlier in the week when it looked like we were going to get a wet track, Gollan said.
“When it didn’t eventuate I was really kicking stones this morning when leaving Brisbane. I really thought it was going to be hard for her on the firm ground, but I always had barrier one up my sleeve, and she was always going to need a lot of luck ridden that way to win.
“From the 600m when she just started to suck up underneath them, then cut the corner beautifully, and once the run presented, she was really just too good.
“She’s gone up a lot in weight to 57kg today and on an unsuitable Good 3 and she’s still done the job, so it’s fantastic.
“We only got her last winter up to our place, and she was meant to go through the June sale last year.
“The guys said ‘what do you think, are you happy to go to the Magic Millions mares race with her?’ and I said ‘well, she’s got a good appetite for her racing still’ and that worked out well.
“Then I thought we’d have a free throw at the stumps at the autumn down here, which is a fairly high level again.
“She’s just been great, I can’t praise the mare enough. She’s done a fantastic job, the whole team does a great job with our horses. Adrian’s done a terrific job here with her the last two weeks. All the guys at Peter and Paul Snowdens have helped look after us as well in the last fortnight. She’s just a really good mare, in good form, and when they’re like this they are hard to beat.
“We’ve still got a Coolmore Legacy during The Championships, a Group 1 mile. I don’t know we’ll just go home and see what they all want to do and see how she pulls up.”
A $120,000 Magic Millions 2YOs in Training purchase for Roll the Dice Racing, Krone is a 3-time veteran of the sales ring.
The daughter of Eurozone made $30,000 as a weanling in 2017 at the Magic Millions when offered by her breeders Bell View Park and then $60,000 as a yearling when bought by Rosemont Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Widden Stud draft.
Krone is the best of two winners from four to race from Soft Landing, a half-sister by Al Maher to Group I winners Universal Prince and Universal Queen. She has a 2yo filly by Fighting Sun that failed to make her $40,000 reserve at the 2020 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Not served in 2019, Soft Landing slipped to Sun Stud’s Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner National Defense (GB) in 2019 before being covered by Spendthrift Farm's Breeders' Cup Classic hero Vino Rosso (Curlin) last spring.
Krone becomes the first Group 1 winner for Eurozone who began his career at Newgate Farm before transferring to Bellereve Stud near Canberra.
