SUNLINE TO ROCK

By Sarah Whitelaw
15 August 2003


Champion race mare, Sunline, who was recently retired is going to champion Rock of Gibraltar for her first mating. 

The daughter of Desert Sun won 13 Grade 1 races, including 2 Cox Plates. Sunline was also twice placed in the weight for age event. She also won a memorable Hong Kong International Mile before running third in the Dubai Duty Free.

She was twice Horse of the Year in both Australia and New Zealand.

Sunline was trained by Trevor Mckee who also part owned the mare who took on and beat the best colts regularly.

She finished fourth behind Horse of the Year Northerly with the high class Grandera just ahead of her on her final career start in the Cox Plate.  

Rock of Gibraltar won a record consecutive seven Group one’s  in a row before narrowly losing the Breeders' Cup Mile to Domedriver. After a highly successful two year old season where he won the Grand Criterium and Dewhurst Stakes,“The Rock” became the first colt since Rodrigo de Triano to win both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas. He then went on to easy wins in the St James Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix du Moulin following his classic success.

The colt then retired to Coolmore where he has just completed his first season at stud where he received a high quality book of mares. He is a son of Danehill, recently crowned champion sire in Australia for the seventh time.