Right from the time Khutulun scored a debut win she has been surprising her owners.
But for some her victory in the Carol Kelly Plate at Caulfield on Saturday was no surprise as she was heavily backed to take the prize.
Ridden by apprentice Beau Mertens, Khutulun was supported from $4.40 into $3.20 favouritism before scoring by 1-1/2 lengths from Walloon Region ($31) with Magic Consol ($6) a long neck away third.
“We nearly sacked her before she even got to the races,” trainer Luke Oliver said.
“She wasn’t really showing us anything at all on the track but her first start she won at big odds which shocked us and she’s been pleasantly surprising us ever since.”
A $16,000 yearling purchase, Khutulun has now won six of her 27 starts and taken her prizemoney to almost $330,000.
Khutulun was backing up from running second behind Savannah Moon at Flemington last Saturday and Oliver was keen to get the mare up to 2000 metres.
Her previous four runs at the trip had resulted in four minor placings and he said dry tracks had affected her previous attempts at the distance.
“At the start of this prep I said to the owners now is probably the best time to get her back up in trip,” Oliver said.
“We’ve struggled in the drier months to keep her sound, to get her up to the 2000 metres.”
Early favourite Turbo Street was a betting ring wobbler from $2.80 to $4.60 and finished a long last.
He bled from both nostrils for the second time and is now banned from racing.
