DGR Thoroughbreds Services’ Duncan Ramage is very proud to have purchased both the sire and dam of Saturday’s G1 Coolmore Classic winner, Krone, as yearlings. Eurozone was a $110,000 purchase by Duncan from the 2012 Magic Millions QLD Gold Coast yearling sale, while Soft Landing was a $270,000 purchase from the 2008 Magic Millions QLD Conrad Jupiters yearling sale. For Duncan, it is very satisfying that progeny of both sire’s and dam’s purchased by DGR combine and produce top-quality thoroughbreds.

Krone’s G1 Coolmore Classic win on Saturday could prove a turning point for her sire Eurozone, who changed hands for just $20,000 at the recent Inglis December Online Sale.

Eurozone began his breeding career at Newgate, where the Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1 placegetter, a son of Northern Meteor, served a big opening book of 167 mares in 2014, including Krone’s dam, Soft Landing (Al Maher) at an opening service fee of $13,750 (inc GST).

The size of his books has declined off those early levels and in 2019, after five seasons, he moved to Bellereve Stud in Canberra, where he attracted books of 30 and 15, standing for $5500 (inc GST) in 2020.

Eurozone was then offered by his owners through the Digital Sale in December and was secured by buyer Timothy Neville for $20,000. His breeding future, or where he might stand in 2021, is as yet unknown, but his new owners now have a Group 1-producing stallion on their hands.

Bred by Dr Phillip Chen, Eurozone was purchased by Duncan Ramage for $110,000 at the 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Carramar Park on behalf of the late Dato Tan Chin Nam, plus Tunku Ahmad Yahaya and Dr Michael Alexeef.

Out of G3 WA Sires’ Produce S. winner Miss Vandal (Don’t Say Halo {USA}), he is a three-quarter brother to the multiple stakes winner Miss Marielle (Encosta De Lago).

Eurozone’s family already had a connection to a Coolmore Classic winner, with Miss Marielle the dam of 2016 winner Peeping (Redoute’s Choice) as well as stakes winner Encouraging (Redoute’s Choice).

Bearing the famous Dato Tan Chin Nam, yellow, black and white colours, Eurozone created his own piece of history as a racehorse, becoming the first stakes winner for James Cummings, when he trained in partnership with his iconic grandfather Bart Cummings.

That first black-type win came in the Listed The Rosebud at just his third start, having won his first two starts with Bart Cummings as his sole trainer as a 2-year-old.

Later in the spring of 2013, he would go on to win the G2 Stan Fox S., defeating the subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Criterion (NZ). He then resumed in the autumn with a close-up second in the G1 CF Orr S. and would finish fourth in the G1 Australian Guineas and third in the G1 Randwick Guineas before being retired later in his 3-year-old season.

As mentioned, he was well patronised in his early seasons at Newgate, with the premature death of his own sire, Northern Meteor, in 2013, increasing demand for his sons at stud.

First-crop colts Eurozone and Zoustar were the first sons of Northern Meteor to stand at stud in Australia in 2014, producing foal crops of 124 and 134 respectively in the spring of 2015.

At the yearling sales in 2017, that large first crop averaged $32,621 across 70 sales, including Krone, who was purchased by Rosemont Stud for $60,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She had been earlier purchased on the Gold Coast by Rae-Louise Charlton for $30,000 as a weanling and would be sent through the Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO’s In Training Sale, where she was secured by Roll the Dice Racing for $120,000.

Krone became Eurozone’s first winner and first stakeswinner when she won the Listed Cinderella S. at Morphettville as a 2-year-old. As a 3-year-old she would add the Listed Darby Munro S. and as a 4-year-old with her third trainer, Tony Gollan, would claim the Listed Glasshouse S.

After a breeding career was put on hold, she has elevated to a whole new level as a 5-year-old under Gollan’s guidance, winning the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies And Mares’ race in January, then claiming the G2 Guy Walter S. before Saturday’s breakthrough Group 1 win.

She is not the only stakes winner from Eurozone’s first crop, with Mystery Love winning the Listed Bendigo Guineas and Tagmaster, a stakes winner in Macau.

That first crop has produced 46 winners from 85 runners, while Eurozone’s overall record as a stallion stands at 90 winners from 185 runners.

His ability to significantly add to that will be likely curtailed by his lower crop numbers in the past few years, but Krone’s latest success could prove the basis for a revival.

Story from TDN AusNZ