Angela Jones and Now Is The Hour ran their rivals into the ground with a bold front-running performance to win the $250,000 Scone Race Club Magic Millions Rising Stars 3YO & 4YO Plate (1300m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Jones said it was a performance inspired by her favourite horse Zarastro, aboard whom she won last year’s $1 million Magic Millions Snippets and several other Stakes races in Queensland.
The pair set a genuine tempo throughout but were left vulnerable late, with Now Is The Hour holding on to defeat True Amour by a nose (official margin 0.02L).
Jones said she could feel the four-year-old tiring late and feared defeat in the close photo finish.
“He’s very similar to Zarastro and I think he deserves that Zarastro 2.0 title now,” Jones said.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to being able to ride Zarastro because I think I learned a lot from him.
“Although it’s tempting to bring them back and try to get a cheaper sectional, it doesn’t actually help them (horses like Zarastro and Now Is The Hour).
“Big credit to him, he’s made me a good rider for these sorts of horses.
“I felt he was holding them off well but just in those last couple of strides I could feel him falling out underneath me so I was sure I was beat.
“Credit to him, it was a tough run race and he was tough late because he was probably entitled to get beat.”
A full brother to Group III winner Inkaruna from Group III winner Ravi, Now Is The Hour sold for $675,000 out of the Kia Ora Stud draft at 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale before Gollan and clients sourced him as a tried horse purchase in mid-2025 through Inglis Digital for $55,000.
It's been a winning recipe in the past for the Gollan stable, who purchased another I Am Invincible gelding Zarastro through the same avenue and he ended up winning $1.5million.
Gollan, who celebrated his birthday with an early Gold Coast treble, said Now Is The Hour can continue to progress through the ranks and can graduate to Stakes class in the next 12 months.
“To get here on these big days and race for this sort of money is phenomenal,” Gollan said.
“He did enough in the run to get beat but he gritted on to win so it was a really good win.
“I came here very confident with him and I wanted to take it from the top, control the race and really make them work to beat him.
“He’s a horse I really like and you’ll see him in better races next summer.”
