Sunline's aggressive nature proved her undoing but her courage still carried her to a close third behind two outstanding rivals in Dubai, reports MIKE DILLON.
Jim And Tonic and Fairy King Prawn didn't beat Sunline, Sunline beat Sunline.
The champion New Zealand mare ran the most courageous race of her fabulous career to finish third in yesterday's $US2 million Dubai Duty Free, but her aggressive attitude which will not allow her to settle on occasions cost her dearly.
And if Sunline had a hand in narrowly beating herself, throw world champion jockey Frankie Dettori's name in the frame.
It was Dettori's mount Slickly who niggled at Sunline through the first 800m of the Duty Free and made her race too fiercely to give herself a chance of fighting off two of the fastest finishing stayers in the business.
"She had her opportunity to settle and she didn't do it," said a pragmatic co-trainer Stephen McKee.
It was always going to be a possibility that the Godolphin horses would make life hard for Sunline.
On dismounting, Dettori went straight to Trevor McKee and rider Greg Childs to apologise for niggling at Sunline.
"I am so sorry, I couldn't stop my horse, he was fighting too hard."
It certainly did not look as though Dettori was desperate to take too big a hold of Slickly.
Childs admitted that take Slickly and Dettori out of the race and Sunline would have won.
"I gave her the opportunity to settle and she wouldn't," said Childs.
"She started to pull, but not too hard then I let her slide a bit to half a length ahead of Slickly and she came back to me a bit, but not enough.
"Coming around the home turn I was happy enough, she balanced and kicked, but she didn't kick like she can. She can kick hard and sustain it better than she did tonight.
"What helped beat her was that she couldn't pinch that break halfway down the straight that she normally gets."
Regardless of all that, Sunline proved she is the best mare in the world with this effort.
When Jim And Tonic and Fairy King Prawn edged past it looked as though Sunline would weaken out, but she fought back and was more than holding her own in the last 50m, only half a length from an extremely brave Jim And Tonic.
Jim And Tonic's French trainer Francios Doumen gracious assessment of Sunline's performance was right on the money.
"She ran exactly how I thought she would run. She has the reputation of being a fantastic miler and I think she was the winner on the night.
"She is so courageous, but she gives so much of herself in her races, she pays for it at the end.
"She is very highly respected."
Sectional times are not taken in Dubai and the odd 1777m distance does not allow a comparison, but the pace was for certain electric.
It would have taken a freak to do what Sunline tried and hold on and win.
While Sunline was charging forward on the home turn to fight it out, Slickly had had enough and weakened to an ordinary sixth.
"I suppose the Godolphin horses will not try and run us into the ground again," said Stephen McKee with a wry smile.
"It was a huge performance. It was not as though she was beaten by two horses who wobble home."
Racing: Speed duel costly for Sunline in Dubai clash
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.