Sun Stud extends international reach with French hopeful

Australian-based Sun Stud is aiming to have an international reach, and with a good chance of having a Group 3 winner in France on Thursday and the dam of America's most exciting two-year-old colt ensconced in its broodmare band you might say it is mission accomplished.

The Hong Kong-owned operation, formerly known as Eliza Park International and with first-class farms in Queensland and Victoria, featured on these pages in May, when the operation's Philip Marshall said that “with the right opportunities there's no limit to the expansion in Europe” and outlined the eight two-year-olds it had in training with Hugo Palmer and Criquette Head-Maarek.

One of those, an Invincible Spirit colt called National Defense bought for €280,000 at last year's Arqana August Yearling Sale, won on his debut at Deauville last month by six lengths for Head-Maarek and appears to hold a leading chance in the Group 3 Prix des Chenes at Chantilly today.