3 minute read
It’s fitting Coolmore Classic winner Krone wears a pair of dice on her silks because trainer Tony Gollan and her connections have done nothing but roll the dice and collect in the past couple of months.
And it might not be over yet with Tony Gollan suggesting Krone might ante up again and chase a second Group 1 at The Star Championships.
Krone's dominant win in the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) was Gollan's first Group 1 success since 2014 and his first in Sydney since Temple Of Boom won the Galaxy in 2012.
"If they put a Group 1 on at Toowoomba where I'm from I'd take one,'' Gollan said.
"It's been a long time in between drinks for me, the last one when the two boys (Spirit Of Boom and Temple Of Boom) quinella-ed the (Doomben) 10,000 back in 2014.
"My first one was 2012 at Randwick so it's fantastic to be back in Sydney, I guess where it all started for Group 1's, and get another one with a mare.
"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."
Krone ($14) was confidently ridden from barrier one by Tim Clark and the jockey was able to conserve energy until well into the straight before easing into the clear to unleash her sprint and put the race away just as Mizzy ($26) looked the winner.
Dame Giselle ($18) held on for third to complete the double figure trifecta. Krone clocked the fastest last 600m of the race (33.48, Punter's Intelligence).
"From the 600m when she just started to suck up underneath them, when he cut the corner beautifully, and once the run presented she was really just too good,'' Gollan said.
"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.
"It's really satisfying, 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.
"When it didn't eventuate I was really kicking stones this morning leaving Brisbane to come back down here. 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."
As Gollan told Racing NSW earlier in the week, Krone came to his stables with the intention of going to a broodmare sale last June.
He convinced the owners to keep the now five-year-old going with a view to targeting Magic Millions Day, and she was successful in achieving that goal as she won the Fillies and Mares feature.
"When mares are in form, she's just going so well,'' Gollan said.
"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."
