FOLLOW KROPP RACING
By Graham Potter | Saturday, April 25, 2026
FOLLOW THE MATT AND WILLIAM KROPP RACING STABLES
Three days … three meetings … three winners!
That has got a nice ring to it, particularly when those results were achieved from only five runners and there was also a second place result in that mix.
It all represented the further progress being shown by the Willima Kropp stable.
Piston Rebel saluted on April 23 (see separate story) and on April 25 William Kropp landed a two venue training double when Yes I’m Ugly won at Dalby and Playman won at Toowoomba.
Yes I’m Ugly’s victory came in a BM60 Handicap over 1200m.
Any win is obviously a good result, but when a horse puts back-to-back wins on the board, it adds to the level of satisfaction for connections as the runner’s form-graph is clearly moving in the right direction. Putting any winning sequence together is never an easy thing to do. Read more ...
THREE DAYS. THREE MEETINGS. THREE WINNERS (APRIL 25, 2026)
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The William Kropp trained Piston Rebel was rewarded for his all around consistency when he landed a win with some authority in a Class 1 Handicap over 1700m at Ipswich on April 23.
Prior to this run, the lightly raced four-year-old gelding had finished in the first three places in five out of his seven starts … from 1400m to 2200m … with his last start run at Eagle Farm when beaten out of the placings in a BM65 Handicap over 1800m as the $3.60 second favourite being the only real hiccup in his form-line.
The best remedy for disappointment is to bounce back quickly, and William Kropp had Piston Rebel primed to do that at Ipswich … and his followers had not backed off at all with Piston Rebel jumping as the favourite this time at $3.40.
Piston Rebel was only ordinarily away from a midfield draw and Brandon Lerena had to push him along over the first 100m before being happy to settle in sixth place, six lengths off the lead, just worse than midfield. Read more ...
PISTON REBEL WINS AGAIN AT IPSWICH (APRIL 23, 2026)
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The Matt Kropp trained Barberofseville kicked off the month of April for the Kropp Racing stables by finishing second in a BM70 Handicap over 1630m at Doomben on April 1… and three days later William Kropp trumped that result when Yes I’m Ugly found winning form.
On the first Saturday of April … April 4 … the four-year-old gelding Yes I’m Ugly claimed the third win of his career when taking out a BM50 Handicap over 1200m in a non-Tab meeting at Flinton.
This was Yes I’m Ugly’s second win in six starts since resuming on August 25, 2025 when he kicked off his four-year-old campaign with a win at Rockhampton in a BM55 Handicap over 1100m.
In his two runs immediately prior to taking on this assignment at Flinton, Yes I’m Ugly had finished second at Rockhampton (over 1300m) and third at Dalby (over 1000) and trainer William Kropp found the middle ground at Flinton sending the son of Jukebox out over the 1200m trip. Read more ...
YES I'M UGLY FLAUNTS IT AT FLINTON - A MATT KROPP AND WILLIAM KROPP STABLE UPDATE (APRIL 11, 2026)
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MARCH REVIEW
The Matt Kropp stable sent out nine individual runners to contest thirteen races in March. The stable return showed three winners, three second places and one third place … which translates to a 23.07 percent winning strike-rate and a 53.84 percent place strike-rate. The Matt Kropp trained horses won from 1200m to 1666m at starting prices of $1.50, $2.90 and $26. A $10 win outlay on all thirteen runners ($130) would have returned $304.
The William Kropp stable sent out ten individual runners to contest sixteen races in March. The stable return showed three winners, three second places and two third places … which translates to an 18.75 percent winning strike-rate and a 50.0 percent place strike-rate. The William Kropp trained runners won at starting prices of $4.40, $11 and $19. A $10 win outlay on all sixteen runners ($160) would have returned $344.
The combined stats of the two Kropp stables thus come in at a healthy six race winners from twenty-nine starts … a winning strike-rate of 20.69 percent.
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At this stage of his career, Prince Levi is consistency personified.
The William Kropp trained four-year-old did not win his latest assignment in an Open Handicap over 2000m at Doomben on March 28, but he once again exemplified all of the attributes connections are looking for in a racehorse, namely for him to always strive to perform at least close to his best and to do that with a fighting spirit which ensures that, if he is beaten, he goes down fighting.
That is exactly what he did at Doomben, as he has done in all of the six races he has contested in 2026. Six races … two wins … three second places and one third place finish is a pretty proud record.
The wins speak for themselves, and the three runner-up finishes were also notable enough given that Prince Levi never finished more than 1.50 lengths behind the winner on each of these occasions.
In this latest test at Doomben, the Kropp team did not shy away from tackling some top stables. Read more ...
NO CIGAR ... BUT ANOTHER GAME EFFORT BY PRINCE LEVI (MARCH 28, 2026)
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Matt Kropp and William Kropp both came away from the meeting at Dalby on March 21 with winners.
Matt Kropp sent Cardiologist out to claim his third career victory in a Class 4 Handicap in the fifth race on the card and the Kropp name was back in the winners’ enclosure four races later when the William Kropp trained Trusty Bandit saluted in a BM50 Handicap over 1400m.
These two wins achieved in different circumstances … both in set-up and execution.
Cardiologist came into the race off the back of three successive placed outings, finishing second in two of those starts. As a consequence of those showings, the son of Exceed and Excel started as a strong race favourite at the prohibitive odds of $1.50.
Cardiologist lived up to that expectation, romping in by a clearcut 4.46 lengths to extend a promising run of form.
By way of contrast, Trusty Bandit came into his race on the back of three successive luck-lustre efforts, finishing more than ten lengths back on each occasion. As a consequence of those showings, the son of Trusty Lad started at double figure odds of $11.
Trusty Bandit exceeded the expectations suggested by his starting price to claim a second career win, but again, unlike the runaway win of his stable companion, Trusty Bandit had to work hard for victory, before getting home by 0.89 lengths. Read more ...
A DALBY DOUBLE FOR KROPP RACING (MARCH 21, 2026)
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When any horse puts back-to-back wins on the scoreboard it is a very pleasing result for the stable as it is a clear indication that the runner is moving in the right direction … and the Matt Kropp team got to enjoy that moment when the chestnut mare Propose made it two-in-a-row in a BM60 Handicap over 1666m at Ipswich on March 20.
The four-year-old had improved on a series of four successive placed runs when striking winning form at Gatton in a Class 2 contest over 1600m on March 1, and she franked that improvement here by taking the next step up to secure a second successive victory when partnered once again by Fred Larson, who rode Propose to victory at Gatton.
That Gatton win brought Propose little respect on the betting boards at Ipswich though. While her price did fluctuate … from $19 to $41 to $31 to $26 … the daughter of Rothesay was always easy to back, and those who kept the faith would have enjoyed the result, albeit it a hard-earned one only secured by narrow margin.
Propose drifted back in the early part and was eleventh out of thirteen runners, some six lengths off the leader, as the field went down the back stretch. You could make that eight lengths in the sweep to the home turn with Larson, having bided his time until then, choosing to hold the inside line along the rail, riding for luck as the field approached the home turn. Read more ...
BACK-TO-BACK WINS FOR PROPOSE. WINS AT LONG ODDS (MARCH 20, 2026)
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Prince Levi added another notch onto his belt when he landed a fourth career win, taking out a BM78 Handicap over 2050m at the Gold Coast on March 14.
The progressive William Kropp trained son of Casino Prince was winning for the second time in his last three starts here … and he has hardly put foot wrong in 2026 with his other three results since the start of the year returning two runner-up finishes and one third placing, all of that coming on the back of a finely forged horse / jockey relationship between Prince Levi and Mark Du Plessis which has brought significant rewards.
Prince Levi came into this Gold Coast assignment following a second place finish in BM80 Handicap over 2200m at Doomben three weeks earlier.
The Kropp trained runner was beaten by 1.55 lengths that day by Akkadian Emperor (who would frank that form by winning again next time out), but it remained a very game effort, particularly considering that Prince Levi carried 2kg more than the winner (59kg to 57kg).
Prince Levi, who came back in distance for this Gold Coast test, found market support as the second favourite at $4.40 behind the race $3.20 race favourite, the Chris Waller trained Lovey Dovey, who, in her last three starts, had landed back-to-back wins at Ipswich before claiming a runner-up finish in her last start over 2200m behind the self-same Akkadian Emperor. Read more ...
PRINCE LEVI RULES AT THE COAST (MARCH 14, 2026)
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The William Kropp trained Baccarat Rouge bounced back to winning form when he saluted in a BM58 Handicap over 2020m at Ipswich on March 6.
The four-year-old daughter of Casino Prince had claimed back-to-back wins at Kilcoy and Gatton in January … in a BM60 Handicap over 1900m and a BM58 Handicap over 2000m respectively … but unplaced finishes in two subsequent starts (at Eagle Farm in a BM68 over 1800m and at Ipswich in a BM58 over 2180) dented the enthusiasm of punters with Baccarat Rouge allowed to start at double figure odds of $19.
Courtney Bellamy, who had partnered Baccarat Rouge in the last of those unplaced finishes, retained the ride and her 2kg claim arguably proved invaluable in a tight enough finish in which Baccarat Rouge got home by a 0.40 length margin.
Bellamy pushed the Kropp trained runner forward from the wide number eight barrier draw and crossed to settle in second place outside the leader, Slugworth ($17), and the leading two runners continued to maintain their positions all the way to the approach to the home turn, where challenges to the two frontrunners started to emerge with Key Command ($5.50) quickly coming into contention out wider on the track and Down Under Stunnah ($10) lurking on the inside. Read more ...
BACCARAT ROUGE BOUNCES BACK TO WINNING FORM (MARCH 6, 2026)
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It had been a while between drinks for the Matt Kropp trained Propose, but the chestnut daughter of Rothesay got the scoreboard moving again when she landed a Class 2 Handicap over 1600m at Gatton on March 1.
The four-year-old had kicked off her career with some intent, winning two of her first seven starts and placing second or third on another three occasions.
That was back in 2024 though, and it has been a long slog for Propose since then with it taking all of sixteen months and another nineteen starts before she saluted again, but, under Kropp’s guidance, she came back to do just that as the $2.90 favourite at Gatton.
Propose was seventh-up this prep at Gatton, with her immediate four runs prior to facing the starter for this latest assignment resulting in two third places and two fourth place finishes … always thereabouts but equally always a couple of lengths shy of claiming a winning result.
That changed at Gatton.
With Fred Larson guiding Propose from the saddle, the Kropp trained runner landed in the lead but then went back to settle fourth on the rail Read more ... _
PROPOSE EARNS A CHANGE OF FORTUNE (MARCH 1, 2026)
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