PROPOSE EARNS A CHANGE OF FORTUNE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, March 1, 2026

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 for the first half of the race, racing three lengths off the lead.

Propose went back to fifth place, now starting to angle towards the outside, in the sweep to the home turn before swinging all of four wide on straightening with still two lengths to make up.

Larson had to get busy early in the straight with Propose initially seeming to shift out away from the whip, but, once straightened again, it was all systems go with the mare now clearly relishing the challenge as she quickly ranged up to tackle the leaders halfway down the straight before her momentum carried her into the lead inside the final 100m and on the secure a comfortable victory in the end by a 1.43 length margin from the second placed Battlespace ($7).
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Another Matt Kropp trained runner, Heroic Beach ($17), finished third.

Heroic Beach was taken back from a number seven barrier by Brandon Lerena and raced second last in the ten-strong field, all of eight lengths off the leader, in the early part.

The four-year-old son of Heroic Valour was still well back in the sweep to the home turn and was forced very wide on entering the home straight … all of eight wide in fact (the widest horse on the track).

You would have been forgiven for thinking that he was only going around for experience at that stage, but a Kropp trained horse is always likely to put in a good shift and Heroic Beach proved to be no exception as he knuckled down to his task, went smoothly through his gears and ran on strongly to the line.

While the position from which he had launched his finishing effort ultimately proved to be too far back to mount a winning challenge, Heroic Beach was taking ground off his victorious stable companion at the line as he moved up smartly over the closing stages to claim an eye-catching third place finish, 1.73 lengths behind the winner.

Matt Kropp