Carnival plans in the balance for Kisukano

A trip to Sydney for the spring carnival hinges on how Kisukano adapts to her latest gear change in a bid to curb her headstrong nature.

Trainer Michael Nolan was forced to go back to the drawing board when stewards imposed another sanction on the filly following her unruly behaviour before her last-start Eagle Farm win on August 15.

On that occasion a stallion chain was used in a bid to pacify the filly but she still proved reluctant to enter the gates, prompting stewards to order another barrier test before allowing her to compete again.

Ridden by Bec Goldsworthy in a jump out at Toowoomba on Tuesday, Kisukano was fitted with a blindfold and entered the gates without a repeat of her stalling tactics, much to Nolan’s relief.

“The hardest part was probably getting the blindfold on her and fitting it properly which took a little bit of time,” Nolan said.

“But after it was on she went up once, they brought her back, spun her around twice then she walked straight in with a person each side of her, so I would say it’s the simplest she’s ever loaded.”

Nolan wants to see how the filly performs in Saturday’s Gallopers Sports Club Plate (1200m) at Eagle Farm before giving the green light to an interstate trip.

“Everything’s in the balance to see what she does Saturday,” he said.

“If she won impressively and she loaded and didn’t play up I’d say yes, but we have to wait and see.

“There’s a few ifs and buts with her and we want to see her in action and assess what she does first before we start making any plans.”

Kisukano opened at $1.70 with TAB fixed odds but constant support from punters has seen her odds shorten to $1.60.

Under the set weights and penalties conditions of the race, Kisukano will carry the minimum of 53 kilograms, a drop of 6kg on the impost she carried to an effortless win against her own sex at her latest outing.