Sunline
Encyclopedia
Sunline was a New Zealand
bred Thoroughbred
racehorse
who was the world's highest earning racemare of her time, competing on 48 occasions for 32 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds to earn A$11,351,607. She won races in three different countries, Australia
, New Zealand
and Hong Kong
. She won successive W.S. Cox Plate
s (2,040m), the richest Weight for Age
(WFA) race in Australia. She also twice won the toughest mile race in Australia, the Doncaster Handicap
, once as a three-year-old and then again as a six-year-old. She was named New Zealand Horse of the Year
four times and is also the only horse ever to win the Australian Horse of the Year championship three times. Sunline was unique in winning so many major races in both Australia and New Zealand. The only other horse to do this was racing legend Gloaming
who raced around 1915.
She recorded a remarkable 13 wins from her 25 starts in Group One
races (a winning strike-rate of 52%), while Makybe Diva
, with whom she is often compared, won seven of her 14 (a winning strike-rate of 50%). Greg Childs, the jockey who rode Sunline in 33 of her races, said she deserved to bracketed with the Diva as the best racemares of the modern era. Makybe Diva was an outstanding stayer and Sunline was a champion middle distance horse.
Sunline led in most of her races, and sometimes settled just behind the leader. She was renowned for her tremendous constitution, and for being difficult to pass. Sunline was an inaugural inductee into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
, along with the other turf immortals Carbine
, Gloaming
, Kindergarten
and Phar Lap
.
on 29 September 1995. Her sire was the handy Group Two winning English sire, Desert Sun, a grandson of leading sire Danzig
, and her dam was the former capable mare Songline by Western Symphony (USA). Intriguingly, Sunline was one of the horses to come from the same family as Phar Lap, tracing all the way back to his dam, Entreaty, who was her 8th dam. A big strong plain bay with no white markings, Sunline was leased by her breeders Susan Archer and Michael Martin to Takanini trainer Trevor McKee.
After a first-up win at three, in August 1998, McKee took Sunline across the Tasman Sea
to Australia for the first of an eventual nine visits. Sunline did not disappoint. Racing in the second, third, and fourth legs of Sydney's Princess Series, for three-year-old fillies, she powered through the wet on her Australian debut in the Furious Stakes, won the Tea Rose Stakes in fast time on a dry track two weeks later, and rounded out her campaign with a resounding win in the Flight Stakes - her first of 13 Group One
wins. Sunline was widely considered a superstar in the making, but was spelled, rather than continueing on to the feature races in Melbourne
, and never clashed with the reigning Horse of the Year
, Might And Power
, who was also a powerful front runner.
Sunline resumed in February 1999, and had eight wins from as many starts in New Zealand, but was narrowly beaten by Rose O'War, second-up, in Melbourne's Angus Armanasco Stakes. The race was not run to suit, with a long shot racing away before the home turn, which may have exposed Sunline's lack of fitness on the day, as she was jumping from 1,200 to 1,600 metres. At her next start, Sunline defeated Rose O'War in the Kewney Stakes, and in her first look at the Cox Plate course, defeated the VRC Oaks
(and subsequent AJC Oaks
) winner Grand Archway by four-and-a-half lengths in the Moonee Valley Oaks (2,040 metres).
Sunline then ventured north
to Sydney
to tackle the Doncaster Handicap
(1,600 metres). Despite taking on older horses for the first time, and starting from a wide starting gate, Sunline was sent out one of the shortest-priced favourites in the race's long history, at 10/9 (approximately $2.10). Sunline went straight to the front and never looked back to score by one-and-three-quarter lengths. She became just the fourth filly to win in the modern history of the race.
A fortnight later, Sunline was again a hot favourite in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,000 metres), and led the field over the rise (near the top of the straight), but faded badly to finished second-last of the six runners. The reason remains a matter of debate among race fans. Some took the defeat as a sign that Sunline could not stay 2,000 metres in open company. Her record over the distance was excellent at Moonee Valley (three wins from five starts) but less so at other, larger tracks (one from five). Some put the failure down to Sunline being tired after five previous runs this campaign. In any case, the run provided an inglorious end to an otherwise outstanding three-year-old season and the filly was sent home to New Zealand for a spell.
in the Warwick Stakes, and was installed ante-post favourite for the $3 million WS Cox Plate at Moonee Valley
. At her next two starts, Trevor McKee then tried to get the mare settle in her races, but she was narrowly defeated in the Theo Marks Quality (by Adam) and the George Main Stakes (by Shogun Lodge). Her final lead-up to the Cox Plate was a close but slightly disappointing fourth under 56.5 kilograms (8 st 11 lb) in the Epsom Handicap.
Speculation in the media that Sunline would be vulnerable in the Cox Plate - in open company over 2,040 metres - proved unfounded. She was brilliant. Leading before the home turn, Sunline easily held off a late challenge from Tie the Knot, with Caulfield Cup
winner Sky Heights in third place. Sunline became only the fifth mare to win the race since its inception in 1922, and the second of three mares to have won the race since Dane Ripper in 1997 (the other being Makybe Diva
in 2005).
After a brief let-up, Sunline came back in distance and easily defeated other mares in the Auckland Breeders' Stakes (1,400 metres), in New Zealand, in preparation for the International Cup (2,000 metres) in Hong Kong
. Sunline led, and her jockey, Greg Childs, explained that she travelled well to the home turn, but, in an echo of the autumn's Queen Elizabeth Stakes, tired badly in the home straight and finished seventh. She then returned home to New Zealand for a spell.
Back in Sydney for the autumn of 2000, Sunline powered through the rain-affected going to win the Apollo Stakes (1,400 metres) first-up. Remarkably, in her entire career, she was never beaten over the distance. She then carried the maximum topweight (60 kilograms) to win the first of two Coolmore Classics - at the time, Australia's only Group One race for fillies and mares (three years and over). At her next start, she carried 57.5 kilograms (9 st. 1 lb.) in the Doncaster Handicap and was narrowly defeated by the lightly weighted three-year-old Over. Meeting again a week later, in the All-Aged Stakes, Sunline relished the return to weight for age conditions - easily accounting for Georgie Boy, with Over in third place, to make it three wins from four starts this campaign.
Sunline fans regard her next run as one of her greatest. On the last Saturday of October, Sunline took control in the rain-affected going to win the Cox Plate by seven lengths from Caulfield Cup winner Diatribe, with Referral in third place. Perhaps unsuited in the conditions, fancied runners Tie the Knot
(2nd in 1999), Sky Heights (3rd in 1999), and Shogun Lodge (conqueror of Sunline in the George Main Stakes) were beaten a combined margin of more than 100 lengths. In winning, Sunline became the first Australasian horse to pass $6 million in career earnings.
in the United Arab Emirates. All bids were rejected, and the mare was prepared for another trip to the rich, pre-Christmas international meeting in Hong Kong. In her final lead-up, Sunline raced away with the Auckland Breeders' Stakes at Pukekohe
. In Hong Kong, she led all the way to win the International Mile (1,600 metres), narrowly holding off local icon Fairy King Prawn, with five lengths back to Adam, from Australia, in third place.
While the victory in Hong Kong neither confirmed nor denied the oft-made claim of her fans that Sunline was world's best racemare, her Cox Plate victory saw the Australian and New Zealand Horse of the Year receive an invitation to compete in the world's richest raceday, the Dubai World Cup
meeting in the United Arab Emirates
.
In early February, Sunline recorded her eighth win in New Zealand when she was too good for seven other Group One winners in the Waikato Sprint
. The victory kept alive Sunline's wonderful record in her home country, which at career end would stand at 10 wins from as many starts. Sunline's next step came with a hit-and-run trip to Sydney
for the Apollo Stakes, at Warwick Farm. For the second year in a row, the race was run on a rain-affected track, and Sunline accounted for the veteran mudlark Celestial Choir, with Tie the Knot unplaced.
In Dubai, Sunline showed her customary pace to lead the field in the Duty Free (1,800 metres), but her breakaway tactics were not aided by a home straight of 600 metres. Jim And Tonic (a French globetrotter) and Fairy King Prawn loomed up to Sunline with 200 metres to run, and, after a tough run, she did well to hold on for third. Sunline returned to Australia to contest the All Aged Stakes
against a sub-standard field, on a wet track at Randwick. Starting a hot favourite, Sunline was inexplicably - although narrowly - beaten by El Mirada and Final Fantasy, and immediately spelled.
newcomer Northerly - in the Feehan Stakes and the Cox Plate (where a third victory would have equalled the record set by Kingston Town
from 1980 to 1982). In both races, Sunline led to the home turn, but Northerly surged to the front in the straight. The result of the Feehan Stakes was close but clear-cut, while the Cox Plate featured three controversial protests: Sunline (second) against first (Northerly), and third (Viscount) against first and second. The protests arose from heavy contact between the three horses in the straight, with Northerly on the outside, Sunline closest to the rails, and Viscount in between. All three protests were eventually dismissed on twin grounds that stewards were unable to determine which rider(s) was at fault or satisfy themselves that the interference had affected the result.
She opened her campaign with a blistering win by four lengths in Waikato Sprint at Te Rapa (defeating Ethereal
, who was out-paced in her first run since the Melbourne Cup). She then won the Coolmore Classic for a second time - again carrying the race's maximum handicap of 60 kilograms - and became the first horse in Australasia to win A$9 million in prize money.
At her next start, she carried the number one saddlecloth to victory in Doncaster Handicap. With 58 kilos, she defeated Shogun Lodge (who also carried 58 kilos) and Defier (who carried just 51.5 kilos but was trapped wide). She closed her campaign with a six length victory in the weight-for age All-Aged Stakes. By winning these races, she became the first horse in Australasia to pass the $11 million mark in career earnings and with 13 Group One wins, she drew to within a solitary win of Kingston Town's record of 14 Group One races.
So good did some judges consider this campaign that it propelled her to a third Australian Horse of the Year award - the only horse to do so - from Northerly (who had beaten her in the spring but then failed to add to his Group One tally in the autumn) and Ethereal (who had won the Caulfield Cup, the Melbourne Cup, and the BMW Stakes - all run at 2,400 metres or above - but was well-beaten by Northerly and Sunline in several shorter races).
first-up in New Zealand, and returned to Sydney for the George Main Stakes. Sunline led but was run down by Defier and Excellerator, with Lonhro
a luckless fourth. Her next start produced a classic contest with Lonhro in the Caulfield Stakes. Sunline led, and, to a huge roar from the crowd, skipped away by more than three lengths at the top of the straight, but Lonhro loomed up strongly close to home to score in race record time, with an incredible margin of six lengths back to the third horse.
Unfortunately, this clash may have flattened Sunline and Lonhro, who appeared to race below their best when fourth and sixth, respectively, behind Northerly in the Cox Plate. As planned, Sunline was retired after this, her fourth and final Cox Plate, and her record of two wins, a second, and a fourth is one of the best in the history of the race. She retired with 27 stakes wins, more than any other horse in Australasian History.
Sun Ruler and Sunstrike met for the first time in a race on 19 December 2009 at Te Rapa with Sun Ruler defeating his older half-sister, Sunstrike, by a nose.
On 1 May 2009 Sunline was put down
after suffering from the debilitating hoof disease laminitis
for nine months. A memorial is to be established at Ellerslie Racecourse
where she was buried.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
bred Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
who was the world's highest earning racemare of her time, competing on 48 occasions for 32 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds to earn A$11,351,607. She won races in three different countries, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She won successive W.S. Cox Plate
Cox Plate
The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
s (2,040m), the richest Weight for Age
Weight for Age
Weight for Age is a term in Thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. It means that a horse will carry a set weight in accordance with the Weight for Age Scale. This weight varies depending on the horse’s age, its sex, the race distance and the month of the year...
(WFA) race in Australia. She also twice won the toughest mile race in Australia, the Doncaster Handicap
Doncaster Handicap
The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000...
, once as a three-year-old and then again as a six-year-old. She was named New Zealand Horse of the Year
New Zealand Horse of the Year
The New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year Award is awarded to the Standardbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within a New Zealand racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within New Zealand, regardless of age and sex...
four times and is also the only horse ever to win the Australian Horse of the Year championship three times. Sunline was unique in winning so many major races in both Australia and New Zealand. The only other horse to do this was racing legend Gloaming
Gloaming (horse)
Gloaming was an outstanding Thoroughbred racehorse, owned, trained, and based in New Zealand. He set many records which includes the Australasian record of 19 successive wins, many in Principal Races. Gloaming was unusual that he was a champion who won many major races in both Australia and New...
who raced around 1915.
She recorded a remarkable 13 wins from her 25 starts in Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
races (a winning strike-rate of 52%), while Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva is a British-bred, Australian-trained Thoroughbred who became the first racehorse to win the famed Melbourne Cup on three occasions: 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2005, she also won the Cox Plate. Makybe Diva is the highest stakes-earner in Australasian horse racing history, with winnings...
, with whom she is often compared, won seven of her 14 (a winning strike-rate of 50%). Greg Childs, the jockey who rode Sunline in 33 of her races, said she deserved to bracketed with the Diva as the best racemares of the modern era. Makybe Diva was an outstanding stayer and Sunline was a champion middle distance horse.
Sunline led in most of her races, and sometimes settled just behind the leader. She was renowned for her tremendous constitution, and for being difficult to pass. Sunline was an inaugural inductee into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame is an organization created to recognise and honour those whose achievements have enriched the New Zealand Horse racing industry...
, along with the other turf immortals Carbine
Carbine (horse)
Carbine , was an outstanding New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who competed in New Zealand and later Australia. During his racing career he won 30 stakes or principal races...
, Gloaming
Gloaming (horse)
Gloaming was an outstanding Thoroughbred racehorse, owned, trained, and based in New Zealand. He set many records which includes the Australasian record of 19 successive wins, many in Principal Races. Gloaming was unusual that he was a champion who won many major races in both Australia and New...
, Kindergarten
Kindergarten (horse)
Kindergarten was a New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse that raced during the early 1940s. He won many of the premier events in New Zealand including the Wellington Cup and Auckland Cup for more than £16,000 in stake money, which was a large amount during the War.-Breeding:He was a bay colt by...
and Phar Lap
Phar Lap
Phar Lap was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse whose achievements captured the public's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealand, he was trained and raced in Australia. Phar Lap dominated Australian racing during a distinguished career, winning a Melbourne...
.
Early days
Sunline was foaled at Pleasanton Stud near Cambridge, New ZealandCambridge, New Zealand
Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated 24 kilometres southeast of Hamilton, on the banks of the Waikato River, Cambridge is known as "The Town of Trees & Champions".In the 1840s Cambridge had a Maori population but in the 1850's missionaries and...
on 29 September 1995. Her sire was the handy Group Two winning English sire, Desert Sun, a grandson of leading sire Danzig
Danzig (horse)
Danzig was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known as a leading sire. He was purchased for $310,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1978 Saratoga Yearling Sale...
, and her dam was the former capable mare Songline by Western Symphony (USA). Intriguingly, Sunline was one of the horses to come from the same family as Phar Lap, tracing all the way back to his dam, Entreaty, who was her 8th dam. A big strong plain bay with no white markings, Sunline was leased by her breeders Susan Archer and Michael Martin to Takanini trainer Trevor McKee.
Racing career
In partnership with Thayne Green and Helen Lusty, McKee raced the filly three times for as many wins as a two-year-old.After a first-up win at three, in August 1998, McKee took Sunline across the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
to Australia for the first of an eventual nine visits. Sunline did not disappoint. Racing in the second, third, and fourth legs of Sydney's Princess Series, for three-year-old fillies, she powered through the wet on her Australian debut in the Furious Stakes, won the Tea Rose Stakes in fast time on a dry track two weeks later, and rounded out her campaign with a resounding win in the Flight Stakes - her first of 13 Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
wins. Sunline was widely considered a superstar in the making, but was spelled, rather than continueing on to the feature races in Melbourne
Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival
The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is the name of a Melbourne, Australia Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually during October and November .-The Carnival and its status in the wider community:...
, and never clashed with the reigning Horse of the Year
Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year
The Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year is awarded to the Thoroughbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within an Australian racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within Australia, regardless of age and sex, and includes overseas performances.This award...
, Might And Power
Might and Power
Might and Power was a New Zealand bred, Australian owned and trained Thoroughbred racehorse who was named Australian Horse of the Year in 1998 and 1999. As a four-year-old, Might And Power won the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, and returned at five to become only the second horse in the history of...
, who was also a powerful front runner.
Sunline resumed in February 1999, and had eight wins from as many starts in New Zealand, but was narrowly beaten by Rose O'War, second-up, in Melbourne's Angus Armanasco Stakes. The race was not run to suit, with a long shot racing away before the home turn, which may have exposed Sunline's lack of fitness on the day, as she was jumping from 1,200 to 1,600 metres. At her next start, Sunline defeated Rose O'War in the Kewney Stakes, and in her first look at the Cox Plate course, defeated the VRC Oaks
VRC Oaks
The Crown Oaks , is the third day of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival at Flemington Racecourse. Oaks Day is held on the Thursday directly following Melbourne Cup Day...
(and subsequent AJC Oaks
AJC Oaks
The AJC Oaks is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horserace for three-year-old fillies at set weights contested over 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April. The AJC Australian Oaks is the premier staying race for three-year-old fillies during the Sydney autumn racing carnival. Total...
) winner Grand Archway by four-and-a-half lengths in the Moonee Valley Oaks (2,040 metres).
Sunline then ventured north
North
North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the top side of a map is north....
to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to tackle the Doncaster Handicap
Doncaster Handicap
The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000...
(1,600 metres). Despite taking on older horses for the first time, and starting from a wide starting gate, Sunline was sent out one of the shortest-priced favourites in the race's long history, at 10/9 (approximately $2.10). Sunline went straight to the front and never looked back to score by one-and-three-quarter lengths. She became just the fourth filly to win in the modern history of the race.
A fortnight later, Sunline was again a hot favourite in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,000 metres), and led the field over the rise (near the top of the straight), but faded badly to finished second-last of the six runners. The reason remains a matter of debate among race fans. Some took the defeat as a sign that Sunline could not stay 2,000 metres in open company. Her record over the distance was excellent at Moonee Valley (three wins from five starts) but less so at other, larger tracks (one from five). Some put the failure down to Sunline being tired after five previous runs this campaign. In any case, the run provided an inglorious end to an otherwise outstanding three-year-old season and the filly was sent home to New Zealand for a spell.
Four year old season: 1999-2000
Unlike so many three-year-old champions, Sunline made the transition to weight-for-age racing as four-year-old. First-up, she scored a strong win over the multiple Group One winner Tie the KnotTie the Knot
Tie the Knot was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 13 Group One races and in 1999-2000 he was voted Australian Champion Stayer.-Breeding:...
in the Warwick Stakes, and was installed ante-post favourite for the $3 million WS Cox Plate at Moonee Valley
Moonee Valley Racing Club
The Moonee Valley Racing Club is located at the Moonee Valley racecourse on McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds . It is one of three racing clubs in the Melbourne metropolitan area; the others are the Victoria Racing Club and the Melbourne Racing Club...
. At her next two starts, Trevor McKee then tried to get the mare settle in her races, but she was narrowly defeated in the Theo Marks Quality (by Adam) and the George Main Stakes (by Shogun Lodge). Her final lead-up to the Cox Plate was a close but slightly disappointing fourth under 56.5 kilograms (8 st 11 lb) in the Epsom Handicap.
Speculation in the media that Sunline would be vulnerable in the Cox Plate - in open company over 2,040 metres - proved unfounded. She was brilliant. Leading before the home turn, Sunline easily held off a late challenge from Tie the Knot, with Caulfield Cup
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup, one of Australia's richest Thoroughbred horse races and the richest of its type in the world is held annually by the Melbourne Racing Club. The race is a handicap like the Melbourne Cup, which means that horses that compete in the Caulfield Cup are capable of running on the...
winner Sky Heights in third place. Sunline became only the fifth mare to win the race since its inception in 1922, and the second of three mares to have won the race since Dane Ripper in 1997 (the other being Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva is a British-bred, Australian-trained Thoroughbred who became the first racehorse to win the famed Melbourne Cup on three occasions: 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2005, she also won the Cox Plate. Makybe Diva is the highest stakes-earner in Australasian horse racing history, with winnings...
in 2005).
After a brief let-up, Sunline came back in distance and easily defeated other mares in the Auckland Breeders' Stakes (1,400 metres), in New Zealand, in preparation for the International Cup (2,000 metres) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Sunline led, and her jockey, Greg Childs, explained that she travelled well to the home turn, but, in an echo of the autumn's Queen Elizabeth Stakes, tired badly in the home straight and finished seventh. She then returned home to New Zealand for a spell.
Back in Sydney for the autumn of 2000, Sunline powered through the rain-affected going to win the Apollo Stakes (1,400 metres) first-up. Remarkably, in her entire career, she was never beaten over the distance. She then carried the maximum topweight (60 kilograms) to win the first of two Coolmore Classics - at the time, Australia's only Group One race for fillies and mares (three years and over). At her next start, she carried 57.5 kilograms (9 st. 1 lb.) in the Doncaster Handicap and was narrowly defeated by the lightly weighted three-year-old Over. Meeting again a week later, in the All-Aged Stakes, Sunline relished the return to weight for age conditions - easily accounting for Georgie Boy, with Over in third place, to make it three wins from four starts this campaign.
Five year old season: 2000-2001
Sunline started her five-year-old campaign in Melbourne, against the sprinters - streaking away in the Manikato Stakes (1,200 metres) at Moonee Valley. She then had wins in the Memsie (1,400 metres) and Feehan Stakes (1,600 metres), but was narrowly beaten by Fairway in the Turnbull Stakes (2,000 metres). A natural frontrunner, like Sunline, Fairway refused to hand up the lead to Sunline, who was forced to chase, and held her at bay down the straight. It was Sunline's third defeat over the distance from as many starts away from Moonee Valley, but it was a great improvement on her previous defeats, especially since Fairway was a multiple Group One winning three-year-old the previous season.Sunline fans regard her next run as one of her greatest. On the last Saturday of October, Sunline took control in the rain-affected going to win the Cox Plate by seven lengths from Caulfield Cup winner Diatribe, with Referral in third place. Perhaps unsuited in the conditions, fancied runners Tie the Knot
Tie the Knot
Tie the Knot was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 13 Group One races and in 1999-2000 he was voted Australian Champion Stayer.-Breeding:...
(2nd in 1999), Sky Heights (3rd in 1999), and Shogun Lodge (conqueror of Sunline in the George Main Stakes) were beaten a combined margin of more than 100 lengths. In winning, Sunline became the first Australasian horse to pass $6 million in career earnings.
International success
Returning to New Zealand after the Cox Plate, the mare's owners revealed that Sunline had been part of a bidding war from five different countries, including the powerful Godolphin stablesGodolphin Stables
Godolphin Racing is the Maktoum family's private thoroughbred horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern thoroughbred....
in the United Arab Emirates. All bids were rejected, and the mare was prepared for another trip to the rich, pre-Christmas international meeting in Hong Kong. In her final lead-up, Sunline raced away with the Auckland Breeders' Stakes at Pukekohe
Pukekohe
Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is approximately 50 kilometres south of Auckland City, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Pukekohe...
. In Hong Kong, she led all the way to win the International Mile (1,600 metres), narrowly holding off local icon Fairy King Prawn, with five lengths back to Adam, from Australia, in third place.
While the victory in Hong Kong neither confirmed nor denied the oft-made claim of her fans that Sunline was world's best racemare, her Cox Plate victory saw the Australian and New Zealand Horse of the Year receive an invitation to compete in the world's richest raceday, the Dubai World Cup
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and from 2010 at the Meydan Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
meeting in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
In early February, Sunline recorded her eighth win in New Zealand when she was too good for seven other Group One winners in the Waikato Sprint
Waikato Sprint
The Waikato Sprint is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton in early February every year. Currently sponsored by Waikato Draught, the race has become one of the highlights of the New Zealand summer racing season....
. The victory kept alive Sunline's wonderful record in her home country, which at career end would stand at 10 wins from as many starts. Sunline's next step came with a hit-and-run trip to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for the Apollo Stakes, at Warwick Farm. For the second year in a row, the race was run on a rain-affected track, and Sunline accounted for the veteran mudlark Celestial Choir, with Tie the Knot unplaced.
In Dubai, Sunline showed her customary pace to lead the field in the Duty Free (1,800 metres), but her breakaway tactics were not aided by a home straight of 600 metres. Jim And Tonic (a French globetrotter) and Fairy King Prawn loomed up to Sunline with 200 metres to run, and, after a tough run, she did well to hold on for third. Sunline returned to Australia to contest the All Aged Stakes
All Aged Stakes
The All Aged Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May...
against a sub-standard field, on a wet track at Randwick. Starting a hot favourite, Sunline was inexplicably - although narrowly - beaten by El Mirada and Final Fantasy, and immediately spelled.
Third Cox Plate attempt
Now six, Sunline returned in the new season with a close second to Piavonic in the Manikato Stakes, won the Memsie Stakes second-up, for the second year in a row, and won the Turnbull Stakes at her fourth run back. In the third and fifth runs of her campaign, however, she was beaten by the West AustralianWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
newcomer Northerly - in the Feehan Stakes and the Cox Plate (where a third victory would have equalled the record set by Kingston Town
Kingston Town
Kingston Town was an outstanding Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won a record three Cox Plates and 11 other Group One races in a career spanning from 1979 to 1982...
from 1980 to 1982). In both races, Sunline led to the home turn, but Northerly surged to the front in the straight. The result of the Feehan Stakes was close but clear-cut, while the Cox Plate featured three controversial protests: Sunline (second) against first (Northerly), and third (Viscount) against first and second. The protests arose from heavy contact between the three horses in the straight, with Northerly on the outside, Sunline closest to the rails, and Viscount in between. All three protests were eventually dismissed on twin grounds that stewards were unable to determine which rider(s) was at fault or satisfy themselves that the interference had affected the result.
Indian Summer
Following her spring defeats by Northerly, and approaching the autumn of her six-year-old term, many in her fan base were now questioning whether the great mare was past her best, but she raced four times in the autumn of 2002 for as many wins - all in Group One races. Indeed, Sunline underlined her extraordinary consistency because each of her nine starts for the season came in races she had also contested in the last two seasons, and returned six wins from nine starts (a winning strike-rate of 67%), compared to eight from 11 in the 2000-2001 season (73%), and six from 11 in the 1999-2000 season (55%).She opened her campaign with a blistering win by four lengths in Waikato Sprint at Te Rapa (defeating Ethereal
Ethereal (horse)
Ethereal is a New Zealand Thoroughbred mare who was a very successful racehorse. She was owned and bred by brothers, Peter and Phillip Vela who own Pencarrow Stud and New Zealand Bloodstock. Ethereal was sired by the 1989 U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Rhythm . Her...
, who was out-paced in her first run since the Melbourne Cup). She then won the Coolmore Classic for a second time - again carrying the race's maximum handicap of 60 kilograms - and became the first horse in Australasia to win A$9 million in prize money.
At her next start, she carried the number one saddlecloth to victory in Doncaster Handicap. With 58 kilos, she defeated Shogun Lodge (who also carried 58 kilos) and Defier (who carried just 51.5 kilos but was trapped wide). She closed her campaign with a six length victory in the weight-for age All-Aged Stakes. By winning these races, she became the first horse in Australasia to pass the $11 million mark in career earnings and with 13 Group One wins, she drew to within a solitary win of Kingston Town's record of 14 Group One races.
So good did some judges consider this campaign that it propelled her to a third Australian Horse of the Year award - the only horse to do so - from Northerly (who had beaten her in the spring but then failed to add to his Group One tally in the autumn) and Ethereal (who had won the Caulfield Cup, the Melbourne Cup, and the BMW Stakes - all run at 2,400 metres or above - but was well-beaten by Northerly and Sunline in several shorter races).
Final campaign
In the spring, Sunline notched her fifth consecutive win when taking the Mudgway StakesMudgway Stakes
The Challenge Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay and is New Zealand's first Group One race of the season...
first-up in New Zealand, and returned to Sydney for the George Main Stakes. Sunline led but was run down by Defier and Excellerator, with Lonhro
Lonhro
Lonhro was a champion Australian racehorse who is now standing at stud. Nicknamed "The Black Flash", Lonhro was from the first crop of the champion Octagonal out of the Group One-placed Shadea , who also produced the Group One winner Niello...
a luckless fourth. Her next start produced a classic contest with Lonhro in the Caulfield Stakes. Sunline led, and, to a huge roar from the crowd, skipped away by more than three lengths at the top of the straight, but Lonhro loomed up strongly close to home to score in race record time, with an incredible margin of six lengths back to the third horse.
Unfortunately, this clash may have flattened Sunline and Lonhro, who appeared to race below their best when fourth and sixth, respectively, behind Northerly in the Cox Plate. As planned, Sunline was retired after this, her fourth and final Cox Plate, and her record of two wins, a second, and a fourth is one of the best in the history of the race. She retired with 27 stakes wins, more than any other horse in Australasian History.
Race record
| Result | Date | Race!!Venue!!Group!!Distance!!Weight (kg)!!Jockey!!Winner/2nd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | 10 May 1998 | 2yo Hcp Restricted | Paeroa | NA | 1100 m | 55 | P. Johnson | 2nd - Speed To Burn |
| Won | 30 May 1998 | 2yo Hcp Restricted | Ellerslie Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit of approximately 1,900 m.-History:The first race meeting was held at Ellerslie on 25 May 1874... |
NA | 1200 m | 54 | P. Johnson | 2nd - Light Opera |
| Won | 09 Jul 1998 | Breeders Stakes | Ruakaka | LR | 1200 m | 56.5 | P. Johnson | 2nd - Life Of Riley |
| Result | Date | Race!!Venue!!Group!!Distance!!Weight (kg)!!Jockey!!Winner/2nd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | 22 Aug 1998 | 3yo Hcp Restricted | Hastings | NA | 1200 m | 55 | P. Johnson | 2nd - No Alimony |
| Won | 05 Sep 1998 | Furious Stakes Furious Stakes The Furious Stakes is a Tattersalls NSW Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies, at set weights, over a distance of 1400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in September... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G3 | 1400 m | 54 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Zaroyale |
| Won | 19 Sep 1998 | Tea Rose Stakes Tea Rose Stakes The Tea Rose Stakes is a Sydney Turf Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race, for three year old fillies, at set weights, over a distance of 1500 metres. It is held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney in September... |
Rosehill | G2 | 1500 m | 55.5 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Zola |
| Won | 03 Oct 1998 | Flight Stakes Flight Stakes The Flight Stakes is an AJC Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies, at set weights, run over a distance of 1600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in October... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 54 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Camerena |
| Won | 01 Feb 1999 | 3yo Hcp Restricted | Ellerslie Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit of approximately 1,900 m.-History:The first race meeting was held at Ellerslie on 25 May 1874... |
NA | 1200 m | 62.5 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Delphic |
| 2nd | 20 Feb 1999 | Angus Armanasco Stakes Angus Armanasco Stakes The Angas Armanasco Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under set weight conditions, for fillies aged three years old, over a distance of 1600 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne every February... |
Caulfield Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse is one of Melbourne, Australia's best-known horse-racing tracks. Commonly known as "The Heath" by local racegoers, it is located eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs... |
G3 | 1600 m | 55.5 | L. Cassidy | 1st - Rose O'War |
| Won | 06 Mar 1999 | AV Kewney Stakes A.V Kewney Stakes The A V Kewney Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies, run at set weights, over a distance of 1,600 metres at Flemington Racecourse in March... |
Flemington Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River... |
G2 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Rose O'War |
| Won | 20 Mar 1999 | Moonee Valley Oaks | Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G3 | 2040 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Grand Archway |
| Won | 03 Apr 1999 | Doncaster Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 52 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Lease |
| 5th | 17 Apr 1999 | Queen Elizabeth Stakes | Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 2000 m | 52 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Intergaze |
| Result | Date | Race!!Venue!!Group!!Distance!!Weight (kg)!!Jockey!!Winner/2nd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | 21 Aug 1999 | Warwick Stakes Warwick Stakes The Warwick Stakes is a Group 2 Australian thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age that was traditionally run over a distance of 1400 metres at Warwick Farm Racecourse, Sydney in August... |
Warwick Farm Warwick Farm Racecourse Warwick Farm Racecourse is a racecourse at Warwick Farm a south-west suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used as a racecourse for Thoroughbred horse racing.- Races :... |
G2 | 1400 m | 55 | L. Cassidy | 2nd - Tie The Knot Tie the Knot Tie the Knot was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 13 Group One races and in 1999-2000 he was voted Australian Champion Stayer.-Breeding:... |
| 2nd | 11 Sep 1999 | Theo Marks Stakes Theo Marks Stakes The Theo Marks Stakes is a Sydney Turf Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred quality handicap horse race, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1300 metres. It is held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney in September... |
Rosehill | G2 | 1300 m | 58 | L. Cassidy | 1st - Adam |
| 2nd | 25 Sep 1999 | George Main Stakes George Main Stakes The George Main Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at RandwickRacecourse, Sydney in September. Total prize money for the race is A$303,300.... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 55 | L. Cassidy | 1st - Shogun Lodge Shogun Lodge Shogun Lodge was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Group One races, and had each of his 58 starts in Group races... |
| 4th | 02 Oct 1999 | Epsom Handicap Epsom Handicap The Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held over 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse. It is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival. Many great milers have won the race, including Chatham, Gunsynd, and Super Impose, who was also a dual winner of the... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 56.5 | L. Cassidy | 1st - Allez Suez |
| Won | 23 Oct 1999 | Cox Plate Cox Plate The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia... |
Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G1 | 2040 m | 54 | G. Childs | 2nd - Tie The Knot Tie the Knot Tie the Knot was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 13 Group One races and in 1999-2000 he was voted Australian Champion Stayer.-Breeding:... |
| Won | 20 Nov 1999 | Breeders Stakes | Pukekohe | G2 | 1400 m | 54.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Soap Opera |
| 7th | 12 Dec 1999 | Hong Kong Cup Hong Kong Cup The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December.... |
Sha Tin Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.Penfold Park is encircled by the track.-History:... |
G1 | 2000 m | 56 | G. Childs | 1st - Jim And Tonic |
| Won | 11 Mar 2000 | Apollo Stakes Apollo Stakes The Apollo Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age run over a distance of 1400 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in February... |
Warwick Farm Warwick Farm Racecourse Warwick Farm Racecourse is a racecourse at Warwick Farm a south-west suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used as a racecourse for Thoroughbred horse racing.- Races :... |
G2 | 1400 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Adam |
| Won | 01 Apr 2000 | Coolmore Classic Coolmore Classic The Coolmore Classic is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three year old and upwards. It is a set weights race, run over a distance of 1500 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in April. Prior to 2008, it was held in March... |
Rosehill | G1 | 1500 m | 60 | G. Childs | 2nd - Beat The Fade |
| 2nd | 22 Apr 2000 | Doncaster Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 57.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Over |
| Won | 29 Apr 2000 | All Aged Stakes All Aged Stakes The All Aged Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Georgie Boy |
| Result | Date | Race!!Venue!!Group!!Distance!!Weight (kg)!!Jockey!!Winner/2nd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | 19 Aug 2000 | Manikato Stakes Manikato Stakes The Manikato Stakes is a MVRC Group One Australian Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1200 metres at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne in September... |
Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G1 | 1200 m | 55 | G. Childs | 2nd - Honour The Name |
| Won | 03 Sep 2000 | Memsie Stakes Memsie Stakes The Memsie Stakes is a Group 2 weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race run at Caulfield Racecourse over 1,400 metres . The total prizemoney for the race is A$201,000... |
Caulfield Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse is one of Melbourne, Australia's best-known horse-racing tracks. Commonly known as "The Heath" by local racegoers, it is located eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs... |
G2 | 1400 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Umrum |
| Won | 16 Sep 2000 | J F Feehan Stakes | Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G2 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Le Zagaletta |
| 2nd | 07 Oct 2000 | Turnbull Stakes Turnbull Stakes The Turnbull Stakes is a 2000 metre Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race, run under set weights with penalties conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in October. Total prize money is A$502,000. It is one of the important races of the Spring Racing Carnival along... |
Flemington Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River... |
G2 | 2000 m | 56.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Fairway |
| Won | 28 Oct 2000 | Cox Plate Cox Plate The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia... |
Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G1 | 2040 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Diatribe |
| Won | 25 Nov 2000 | Breeders Stakes | Pukekohe | G2 | 1400 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Amnesia |
| Won | 17 Dec 2000 | Hong Kong Mile Hong Kong Mile The Hong Kong Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December.... |
Sha Tin Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.Penfold Park is encircled by the track.-History:... |
G1 | 1600 m | 56 | G. Childs | 2nd - Fairy King Prawn |
| Won | 10 Feb 2001 | Waikato Sprint Waikato Sprint The Waikato Sprint is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton in early February every year. Currently sponsored by Waikato Draught, the race has become one of the highlights of the New Zealand summer racing season.... |
Te Rapa | G1 | 1400 m | 56 | G. Childs | 2nd - Fritz |
| Won | 03 Mar 2001 | Apollo Stakes Apollo Stakes The Apollo Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age run over a distance of 1400 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in February... |
Warwick Farm Warwick Farm Racecourse Warwick Farm Racecourse is a racecourse at Warwick Farm a south-west suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used as a racecourse for Thoroughbred horse racing.- Races :... |
G2 | 1400 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Celestial Choir |
| 3rd | 24 Mar 2001 | Dubai Duty Free Stakes | Nad Al Sheba Nad Al Sheba Racecourse Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is a former Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It has a 2,200 metre left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance... |
G2 | 1777 m | 55 | G. Childs | 1st - Jim And Tonic |
| 3rd | 21 Apr 2001 | All Aged Stakes All Aged Stakes The All Aged Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 1st - El Mirada |
| Result | Date | Race!!Venue!!Group!!Distance!!Weight (kg)!!Jockey!!Winner/2nd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 18 Aug 2001 | Manikato Stakes Manikato Stakes The Manikato Stakes is a MVRC Group One Australian Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1200 metres at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne in September... |
Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G1 | 1200 m | 55 | G. Childs | 1st - Piavonic |
| Won | 01 Sep 2001 | Memsie Stakes Memsie Stakes The Memsie Stakes is a Group 2 weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race run at Caulfield Racecourse over 1,400 metres . The total prizemoney for the race is A$201,000... |
Caulfield Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse is one of Melbourne, Australia's best-known horse-racing tracks. Commonly known as "The Heath" by local racegoers, it is located eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs... |
G2 | 1400 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Piavonic |
| 2nd | 15 Sep 2001 | J F Feehan Stakes | Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G2 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Northerly Northerly Northerly, foaled in 1996, was arguably Australia's best middle distance Thoroughbred horse of the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kersley, won nine Group One races, including the Australian Cup twice, and the Cox Plate, regarded as the Weight for... |
| Won | 06 Oct 2001 | Turnbull Stakes Turnbull Stakes The Turnbull Stakes is a 2000 metre Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race, run under set weights with penalties conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in October. Total prize money is A$502,000. It is one of the important races of the Spring Racing Carnival along... |
Flemington Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River... |
G2 | 2000 m | 56.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Universal Prince |
| 2nd | 27 Oct 2001 | Cox Plate Cox Plate The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia... |
Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G1 | 2040 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Northerly Northerly Northerly, foaled in 1996, was arguably Australia's best middle distance Thoroughbred horse of the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kersley, won nine Group One races, including the Australian Cup twice, and the Cox Plate, regarded as the Weight for... |
| Won | 09 Feb 2002 | Waikato Sprint Waikato Sprint The Waikato Sprint is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton in early February every year. Currently sponsored by Waikato Draught, the race has become one of the highlights of the New Zealand summer racing season.... |
Te Rapa | G1 | 1400 m | 56 | G. Childs | 2nd - Honor Bound |
| Won | 09 Mar 2002 | Coolmore Classic Coolmore Classic The Coolmore Classic is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three year old and upwards. It is a set weights race, run over a distance of 1500 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in April. Prior to 2008, it was held in March... |
Rosehill | G1 | 1500 m | 60 | G. Childs | 2nd - Gentle Genius |
| Won | 30 Mar 2002 | Doncaster Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 58 | G. Childs | 2nd - Shogun Lodge Shogun Lodge Shogun Lodge was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Group One races, and had each of his 58 starts in Group races... |
| Won | 06 Apr 2002 | All Aged Stakes All Aged Stakes The All Aged Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 2nd - Cent Home |
| Result | Date | Race!!Venue!!Group!!Distance!!Weight (kg)!!Jockey!!Winner/2nd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | 24 Aug 2002 | Mudgway Stakes Mudgway Stakes The Challenge Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay and is New Zealand's first Group One race of the season... |
Hastings | G2 | 1400 m | 56 | G. Childs | 2nd - Tit For Taat |
| 3rd | 28 Sep 2002 | George Main Stakes George Main Stakes The George Main Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at RandwickRacecourse, Sydney in September. Total prize money for the race is A$303,300.... |
Randwick Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters... |
G1 | 1600 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Defier |
| 2nd | 12 Oct 2002 | Caulfield Stakes Caulfield Stakes The VATC Caulfield Stakes is now a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, at Caulfield Racecourse. The race was previously known as the Caulfield Stakes but since 1997 it has been referred to as the... |
Caulfield Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse is one of Melbourne, Australia's best-known horse-racing tracks. Commonly known as "The Heath" by local racegoers, it is located eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs... |
G1 | 2000 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Lonhro Lonhro Lonhro was a champion Australian racehorse who is now standing at stud. Nicknamed "The Black Flash", Lonhro was from the first crop of the champion Octagonal out of the Group One-placed Shadea , who also produced the Group One winner Niello... |
| 4th | 24 Oct 2002 | Cox Plate Cox Plate The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia... |
Moonee Valley Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club... |
G1 | 2040 m | 55.5 | G. Childs | 1st - Northerly Northerly Northerly, foaled in 1996, was arguably Australia's best middle distance Thoroughbred horse of the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kersley, won nine Group One races, including the Australian Cup twice, and the Cox Plate, regarded as the Weight for... |
Stud record
Sunline went into retirement at the McKee property near Auckland and produced four foals. Two of her progeny have won races, Sunstrike (2004 filly, by Rock Of Gibraltar) and Sun Ruler (2005 colt, by Zabeel). She also left the unraced Sunalta (2006 filly, by Rock of Gibraltar) and the unplaced Sunsett (2007 filly, by Hussonet).Sun Ruler and Sunstrike met for the first time in a race on 19 December 2009 at Te Rapa with Sun Ruler defeating his older half-sister, Sunstrike, by a nose.
On 1 May 2009 Sunline was put down
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
after suffering from the debilitating hoof disease laminitis
Laminitis
Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates. It is best known in horses and cattle. Symptoms include lameness, and increased temperature in the hooves...
for nine months. A memorial is to be established at Ellerslie Racecourse
Ellerslie Racecourse
Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit of approximately 1,900 m.-History:The first race meeting was held at Ellerslie on 25 May 1874...
where she was buried.