Squamosa commenced an international weekend of winners for Sun Stud in New Zealand on Saturday.
The Victorian-based freshman sired his first winner with his first starter Kiwi Ida in the Nobby Bussell Memorial (800m) at Riccarton. “Squamosa was a brilliant two-year-old and we specifically bought this horse to go early,” trainer Karen Parsons said. “This filly is stakes class and will aim her for the Welcome Stakes next month.”
Kiwi Ida (2f Squamosa – Empress Ida by Blevic) had won two trials at Rangiora before her debut and she justified expectations to run down hot favourite Sensei. They streeted the rest of the field by 6 lengths.
Ponderosa Park studmaster Paul Kelly bred and sold her for $4,000 as a foal at the 2014 Inglis Great Southern Sale. Kelly is based at Nathalia and has a yearling half-brother to the Kiwi filly by his resident sire Niconoise.
Squamosa’s Sun Stud associate Statue Of Liberty was also among the winners with Lucky Liberty (Saturday) and New York (Sunday).
Lucky Liberty improved his strike rate to 4 wins in 7 starts in the Dream Thoroughbreds Hcp (1200m) at Caulfield. Basinghall Farm sold him as agent for $17,000 at the 2013 Inglis VOBIS Gold yearling sale.
“He would have been a Group winner by this stage if he didn’t get injured,” trainer Henry Dwyer said. “I would like to win a Group race with him at some stage as vindication for the owners being so patient.”
Statue Of Liberty veteran New York scored a career-high victory in the $50,000 Bairnsdale Cup (1600m) for in-form trainer Allison Bennett. He’s a half-brother to Flemington Group winner King Hoaks and has won 5 races on the Gippsland circuit for earnings over $245,000.
Sun Stud took centre stage at the Arc de Triomphe meeting on Sunday when National Defense scored a front-running victory in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1600m).
National Defense is by former Chatswood Stud shuttler Invincible Spirit and cost Sun Stud owner Ting Kong Cheng 280,000 euros at the 2015 Arqana August yearling sale. He bolted in by four lengths from Salouen who is a son of Blue Gum farm sire Canford Cliffs.
SQUAMOSA