With nine top five finishes in previous black type races, it was better late than never as 6yo Divine Prophet mare Fortunate Kiss charged along the inside to win the $300,000 Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday – her first black type victory.
As the gates crashed open, jockey Luke Tarrant ushered Fortunate Kiss from barrier 10 of 13 over towards the inside running rail where she settled with last start Listed Eye Liner Stakes winner Oughton (More Than Ready) to her immediate outside.
Taking up the running was the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr trained Grand Impact (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who had been scratched from Rosehill’s Listed Winter Stakes, with last Saturday’s Listed Tattersall’s Mile winner The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) maintaining his position on the rail in second.
Slowly improving her position along the inside, the Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans trained Fortunate Kiss was still many lengths off The Inflictor who had taken the lead into the home straight as Grand Impact ran out of puff.
As the 200m mark was reached, The Inflictor still had the lead but race favourite Warnie (IRE) (Highland Reel) was coming down the outside, but that challenge was only short lived as Tarrant drove Fortunate Kiss along the inside of the field to take the lead.
Holding off the late charge of Oughton to score by just over a quarter of a length, connections were surely over the moon to see the Fortunate Kiss finally record her first black type victory.
Stable rep Ross O’Sullivan expected a forward showing by Fortunate Kiss in Saturday’s race, especially off the back of her last start third in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes behind Oughton.
"Off her last start, I thought she was overs today. I was quite surprised when the prices went up. She pulled up well from her last start and hasn't missed a beat the whole way here,” said O’Sullivan.
"She's super and she'll probably get a mile but Lloyd and Lucy have her well tuned up for 1400.
"Luke rode her perfectly. Didn't really pass a horse and that was a perfect ride for a pick-up. I know Ronnie (Stewart) is a bit disappointed. He looked forward to riding her but these things happen."
Tarrant who rode the mare perfectly, feels that she will be even better over 1600m.
"My instructions were to find some cover and produce her as late as possible. To be honest, I was a bit nervous coming into the straight. I knew I was going to switch back to the inside but they can do it when they are the next horse,” said Tarrant.
"She will only improve off that and if there was another furlong we probably would have won by a furlong."
Taking her record to five wins and nine placed performances from 36 starts and over $620,000 in earnings, Fortunate Kiss was initially sold as an $80,000 Inglis Classic yearling graduate when purchased by her first trainer Daniel Bowman from the Middlebrook Valley draft.
Fortunate Kiss then found her way to the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where Kennewell Racing, Group 1 Bloodstock and Ridgeport Holdings Pty Ltd parted ways with $150,000 to secure the mare from the draft of Sullivan Bloodstock.
Bred by the Falcone family, who also bred the mare’s Group 1 Caulfield Guineas-winning sire Divine Prophet (Choisir) and his full-brother Proisir (Choisir) – himself a Group 1 producing sire, Fortunate Kiss is one of four winners from four to the races out of the Savabeel mare Kiss Me Goodbye, herself a half-sister to the stakes placed duo Deep Pockets and Major Canny.
The final foal of Kiss Me Goodbye before she unfortunately passed away is her current 2yo, a full brother to Fortunate Kiss named My Wallet in the South Australian stable of Richard and Chantelle Jolly.
Fortunate Kiss is one of six stakes performers for Divine Prophet who initially stood at Aquis in Australia before being exported to stand at Highview in New Zealand where he will stand at a fee of NZ $9,000 (plus GST) in the spring.
Divine Prophet’s first New Zealand conceived crop of yearlings will head to the 2026 sales.
