Kisukano within sight of $1 million in prize money

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba mare Kisukano will return to the scene of her greatest triumph when she bids to smash the $1 million prize money barrier at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Kisukano has earned $954,475 in prize money from eight wins and 10 placings in 28 starts.

The five-year-old will smash the $1 million mark if she collects first prize of $87,000 in the Listed Tattersall’s Classic over 1200 metres.

A win would revive memories of Kisukano’s greatest victory when she downed the then star two-year-old Rothfire, who was a short-priced favourite, in the $500,000 QTIS Jewel at the Gold Coast in March, 2020.

Rothfire went on to become Queensland’s best two-year-old that season with wins in the Group 2 Champagne Classic and Group 1  J. J. Atkins at Eagle Farm.

Breaking $1 million in prize money in Queensland is a rare feat for a horse that has never raced interstate and will be a proud moment for trainer Michael Nolan.

“For a Queensland horse to only race here and win $1 million would be a real milestone,” Nolan said.

“We don’t have the same access to some of the massive prize money they have in the south.

“For a mare bred at Stanthorpe to crack a million would be great for our industry and the sales coming up.

“She’s a QTIS horse so she’s been a great advertisement for the QTIS scheme.”

Kisukano made a successful return after a disappointing winter carnival winning over 1000 metres at the Sunshine Coast last month.

However, Nolan blamed a track bias for her last performance when she beat one runner home behind the Rex Lipp-trained Simply Fly over the same journey at Eagle Farm on November 1.  

“I expected her to win first-up at Caloundra when she got well back and came down the centre of the track,” he said.

“We then took her to Eagle Farm on Melbourne Cup day and the fence was inferior to the other horses running five or six metres wider.

“She drew the rails that day and never left the fence.”

Nolan’s biggest win as a trainer was back in 1999 when he claimed the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 with former top sprinter Laurie’s Lottery.

He has won a host of feature races both in Brisbane and Toowoomba including three Listed Weetwood Handicaps and a Toowoomba Cup.

Kisukano was bred by Stanthorpe’s Peter and Dell Reeves, who have bred horses for many than 30 years.

Nolan’s friendship with the Reeves’ family goes back to his school boy days when he boarded with their sons, Rob and Dave Reeves at Brisbane’s Marist Brothers College in Ashgrove.

“She’s had time to get over her Eagle Farm run and she really likes 1200 metres around the Gold Coast,” Nolan said.

“She’s in great shape and hopefully she’ll be right in the finish.”

Nolan plans to give Kisukano one or two more runs before heading to the inaugural running of the $750,000 King Of The Mountain over 1200 metres at Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve.