G1 Next for Star Squamosa Mare Kiwi Ida

Media Release - Tuesday January 28

Balcairn trainers John and Karen Parsons are hoping their North Island luck holds two-fold at the Te Rapa premier meeting on Saturday week.

The North Canterbury couple have struck three times on end on their latest northern raid on features, with Kiwi Ida winning the Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni on December 21 and the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) at Ellerslie last Saturday and Camino Rocoso taking the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m) at Trentham between times with a bold front-running display.

Kiwi Ida is the best progeny to date for sun Stud's SquamosaKiwi Ida has remained in the north, being based at Mystery Creek, Hamilton, while Camino Rocoso, a former northerner, returned south after the Trentham effort. But Camino Rocoso will be heading back north late next week to join his stablemate at Te Rapa, with the pair chasing the two Group One events on the card.

Kiwi Ida will contest the Gr.1 BCD Sprint (1400m), while a late entry will be paid for Camino Rocoso to start in the Gr. 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m).

“Our luck has got to run out up here some time, but I hope it holds for Te Rapa,” Karen Parsons said.

The Ellerslie win took Kiwi Ida’s record to 14 wins from 41 starts and her stake earnings to over $450,000 and she has certainly earned plenty of respect in the north with her barn-storming winning efforts in the hands of Chris Johnson.

At Awapuni she defeated the very promising Rock On Wood and at Ellerslie she outgunned Volpe Veloce and Rondinella.

“I was a bit apprehensive when she was back and all those good horses were in front of her on Saturday,” Parsons said.

“But Chris knows how to ride her. She has to be held up. She pulled up as though she didn’t have a race.”

It was seven years ago the Parsons won the BCD Sprint, then known as the Waikato Draught Sprint, with their multiple Group One winner Final Touch and Kiwi Ida will be out to emulate that feat on Saturday week.

“She’s got a better finish than Final Touch,” Parsons said.

Though Kiwi Ida has settled in well to her temporary base in Hamilton, she won’t be staying on in the Waikato for the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha on April 4.

“John is adamant she won’t go 1600m,” Parsons said. “She has had a few goes and hasn’t been in it.”

Three of those 1600m attempts were as a three-year-old with the best result being a sixth and her best placing in two subsequent starts over the metric mile distance was a fifth in the 2018 Listed Timaru Cup, while in one start over a longer journey she was fifth in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m), also as a three-year-old.

While it will be Kiwi Ida’s first start at Te Rapa on Saturday week, Camino Rocoso was placed in two of his three starts on the course when prepared at Cambridge by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.

Camino Rocoso joined the Parsons barn last autumn after winning four races for Baker and Forsman and struck immediately with a double at Blenheim and this campaign he has gone on to extend his winning tally to nine.

His latest three wins have all come within his last four starts, beginning with an all-the-way victory in the Cromwell Cup (2030m), and he earned his trip to Trentham with a similar display when winning the Waikouaiti Cup (1975m) on New Year’s Day.

“He’s happy when he’s let roll and Chris knows how to ride him,” Parsons said. “It’s a big step up taking on the Group One, but the owners are keen.”

While Parsons is in the north with Kiwi Ida, her husband and the rest of the staff are gearing up for a big day at Wingatui on Saturday.

“We’ve got 12 nominated,” Parsons said. “I hope we have better luck than we did last Saturday when we had a big team in at Riccarton.”

The Parsons’ Wingatui-bound squad will include Killarney, a candidate for the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m) and Sitarist, who will start in the Listed Fire & Mechanical Contracting Ltd Dunedin Cup (2400m).

Killarney is another former Cambridge galloper who has recaptured winning form, scoring over 1400m at Omakau on January 3. He then finished eighth last start in the Listed Timaru Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton last Saturday.

“It was quite a good run last time as they dawdled and sprinted home and it was hard on the backmarkers like him,” Parsons said.

Sitarist goes into the Dunedin Cup with a second to Wild Jack in the Gore Cup (1800m) and a second two starts earlier behind Camino Rocoso in the Cromwell Cup (2030m). - NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Farnan Colt A Debut Winner - Slipper Crack Coming
High priced Farnan colt King Of Pop will be given his chance to get to the Golden Slipper after a debut win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Bargain Hellbent Filly Heading For Black Type
Legendary trainer Les Bridge can make something special out of a horse and will likely tackle stakes grade with his up and coming bargain Hellbent filly Scintilla after making it three in a row on Wednesday.
G1 Progeny Among Early Entries For Inglis Weanling Sales Series
Amongst the highlights of the 2025 Inglis Weanling Sales Series is sure to be the draft of Dorrington Farm-bred weanlings – which will be offered in conjunction with Noorilim Park – at the Australian Weanling Sale on May 5-6.
Riccarton 2YO Winner for Maurice
Progressive juvenile Best Rose turned the tables on her key rival at Riccarton Park on Wednesday, scoring an impressive second-up victory in The Tea House At Riccarton Park 2YO (1000m).
Squamosa Orders Another Winner!
Talented Squamosa sprinter, Order Of Command, has continued his terrific run this season with an emphatic victory over 1200 metres at Caulfield on Saturday.
Squamosa Mare Wins G3 Breeders Stakes
Sun Stud's quiet achiever Squamosa was making news on Wednesday when his quality New Zealand based mare Kiwi Ida produced a career best performance to win her first Graded event.
New Record Priced Colt Early at MM Perth
A new record price for a colt at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling was set early on Day One which was also a new record for a colt by his sire Playing God.
More G2 Success for Squamosa's Kiwi Ida
Outstanding southern mare Kiwi Ida showed northern racegoers a glimpse of her undoubted class when she dashed home to take out the Group II  Westbury Classic (1400m) in her first look at the Ellerslie track.
Entries Open For 2025 Inglis Weanling Sales Series
The 2025 Inglis Weanling Sales Series – the most lucrative weanling sales series in the Southern Hemisphere – is now open for entries.
Squamosa Takes Command
Sun Stud’s speed source, SQUAMOSA, has notched up another stakes winner with ORDER OF COMMAND producing a, literally, command performance down the straight six at Flemington, capturing the Hilton Nicholas Stakes.