Luke Tarrant delivers stunning upset in Glasshouse Handicap on pick-up ride Fortunate Kiss

News.com.au

18 hours ago

The colourful riding career of Luke Tarrant took another quirky twist when he was Johnny-on-the-spot to land the Glasshouse Handicap on late pick-up ride Fortunate Kiss.
Tarrant has had his trials and tribulations and has time out of the saddle for some serious indiscretions, but was the man of the moment to score the Sunshine Coast feature sprint.
Ron Stewart had been meant to ride Fortunate Kiss in the $300,000 sprint but suffered a rib injury earlier in the day, so Tarrant was called into action with little notice.
He pounced late to claim the Listed Glasshouse Handicap on Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans ' Victorian galloper Fortunate Kiss, who was surprisingly sent out the tasty odds of $26 after racing well for third in the Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich at her previous start.
Tarrant made sure he listened to Stewart's pre-race riding tips before conjuring a Glasshouse Handicap blowout, nailing runner-up Oughton ($26) and third-placed The Inflictor ($3.50).
'I only just picked the ride up, I just turned up and took Ronny's instructions … happy days,' Tarrant said.
'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.
'She will only improve off that and if there was another furlong we probably would have won by a furlong.'
Sealed with a kiss! 😘
Fortunate Kiss takes out the Listed TAB Glasshouse at @SCTurfClub! A big win for Luke Tarrant and @KennewellRacing!
Another @Kiaarn pick of the yard wins at $26 ðŸ'¥ pic.twitter.com/4DmI7x6Ujs
â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 5, 2025
Stable representative Ross O'Sullivan said he was surprised six-year-old mare Fortunate Kiss was sent out at such big odds.
'Off her last start, I thought she was 'overs' today and I was quite surprised when the prices went up,' he said.
'She pulled up well from her last start and hasn't missed a beat the whole way here.
'Luke rode her perfectly.
'He 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 was looking forward to riding her, but these things happen.'
Of the beaten brigade, hobby trainer and truck driver Craig Cousins was more than happy with the third-placed finish of The Inflictor who was backing up from winning a Listed race at Eagle Farm seven days earlier.
He said his stable star would now go for a break.
Ciaron Maher galloper Warnie has started favourite in both of his runs in Queensland but again finished unplaced, grabbing fourth in the Glasshouse.
Matt Dunn's sprinter Boom Torque started $51 but was making an electric surge late before being chopped out and finishing 11th in a luckless run.
The Sunshine Coast finally got some luck with its feature winter carnival meeting after many major meetings at Corbould Park in recent years have been impacted by rain and bad weather.
But the Sunshine Coast Turf Club was delighted with drawing a bumper crowd under fine skies.
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Overfull flies to victory
Peter Robl 's three-year-old filly Overfull has been here, there and everywhere.
But she returned to the scene of her first race start to capture the $200,000 Dr Bernie Spilsbury 3YO Handicap (1000m) on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
After winning her debut on the Sunshine Coast in February last year, Overfull has ventured far and wide and raced at tracks including Moonee Valley, Flemington, Scone and Rosehill.
The Gold Coast-based filly has had just as many races interstate as she has at home in the Sunshine State.
But it was fitting that Overfull returned to the Sunshine Coast to score the race named after long-serving club doctor Bernie Spilsbury who is retiring.
Originally purchased for just $14,000, the filly banked another $116,000 in prizemoney and added to her reputation as she fought off all challengers in the final stages.
Overflowing with grit! ðŸ'°
A brave win to Overfull over the 1000m at @SCTurfClub for @RoblRacing and @_damienthornton! pic.twitter.com/vrzAx2yWpq
â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 5, 2025
'She's been an unbelievable filly for the stable,' Robl said.
'I think throughout her career she has only put in one bad run, at Flemington.
'She's travelled to Melbourne, she's travelled to Sydney and come race day she just puts in 100 per cent every time.
'No disrespect to anyone but I thought today's race was probably two lengths inferior to what she had been running in, and with 53 (kg) on her back I was pretty confident today that she'd be winning.'
Meanwhile, bargain basement buy Earn To Burn produced a tough win for trainer Jack Bruce and jockey Luke Dempsey in the Bruce McLachlan Classic 2YO Handicap (1000m).
Earn To Burn broke his maiden at Toowoomba in May and then was far from disgraced when being beaten four lengths at Listed level at Eagle Farm last month.
The youngster who cost just $7000 at last year's Gold Coast National Yearling Sale showed he was up for a fight when he went head to head with Jaggery on the Sunshine Coast and narrowly prevailed.
One for the locals! Earn To Burn fights like a tiger to win the third for Sunshine Coast trainer Jack Bruce ðŸ'¥ðŸ�¯ @luke_dempsey @JackBruceRacing pic.twitter.com/TZL74MYPBt
â€' 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) July 5, 2025
Earn To Burn started a well-fancied $6 chance in a race where $2.80 favourite Prestar finished third after being out in the cheap seats from a wide barrier.
'He's always been a handy horse and I tried to get him ready for The Debut early on, but it was probably all a bit much too soon but he has come back well after a break,' Bruce said.
'He has probably overdone it in some Stakes races from wide barrier draws.
'When he drew wide again today I was a bit worried but he was well ridden and he's tough.
'It was really good to get a result with him for the talented two-year-old that he is.
'We just needed to find the right race and get it done.'