By Barry Street
Stand by for another display of power galloping from Sunline in the $A350,000 George Main Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
That's the tip from across the Tasman from part-owner and co-trainer Trevor McKee, who was delighted with the champion mare's training at Randwick yesterday.
McKee took over the supervision of Sunline's Australian spring campaign two days ago from his partner-son, Stephen, and reported yester- day that he could not have hoped to have found her in better form.
"Dad said that she breezed along this morning over 1400m in the same style as when she won the Doncaster Handicap over there last autumn," Stephen said from Taka- nini. "He was rapt.
"Larry Cassidy rode her and, by all accounts, he was also chuffed.
"They say she picked up speed from the 1200m and ran her last 1000 in about 1:5 and came from the 600 in 36, which is damn good going on the dirt track."
After a first-up win over Tie The Knot in the 1400m Warwick Stakes at Warwick Farm on August 21 and half-neck second to Adam when dropping back 100m in distance in the Theo Marks Quality at Rose- hill on September 11, Sunline appears to have peaked again at exactly the right time.
After Saturday's group one weight-for-age 1600m it is now almost certain she will back up again only a week later for the $A600,000 Epsom Handicap at Randwick.
She has been weighted at 56.5kg - 1.5kg more than weight-for-age - for the group one 1600m Epsom, but that is not considered prohibitive in her quest to complete a rare Doncaster-Epsom double.
She could win worldwide acclaim with the double - plus, perhaps, a Doncaster-George Main-Epsom treble.
After the Epsom she could have three weeks to recover and, hopefully, no pressure travelling on to Melbourne for the $A1.8 million Cox Plate, the group one weight-for-age 2040m at Moonee Valley on October 23, Stephen explained.
"If she races in the Epsom she can bypass the Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield on October 9.
"The Epsom gives her a better time frame than the Yalumba, which could be a pretty hard 2000m only a fortnight before the Cox Plate."
Further heartening news from the McKee stable is that Sunline's travelling companion, Nahayan, remains a definite lightweight hope for the $A1.7 million Caulfield Cup on October 16 even though she flopped last Saturday.
Nahayan had no hope from the start of the Hill Stakes won by Tie The Knot, Stephen said.
After getting toey in the starting stalls, she had one barrier attendant holding both her ears and another clutching her tail.
"After that she got well back, instead of in the first two or three, and became pocketed as well," he said.
"It was not even a race for her.
"Chris Munce, riding her for the first time, got pretty hot about what happened and complained to the stewards."
Nahayan would be given a chance to atone - again with Munce her rider - in the $A175,000 Craven Plate, a group three weight-for-age 2000m, at Randwick on Saturday week, he said.
Horse Racing: Sunline on target for rare double
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