By MIKE DILLON
Wanted: a travelling companion to an exotic location for one of the world's richest females.
Downside: occasional grumpiness.
Real downside: males must be castrated.
That job, accompanying Sunline to Dubai, was advertised recently with no takers.
Sorry, it was horses they were looking for.
So in lieu of a suitable newcomer fronting up to keep the fiery Sunline amused, Trevor McKee is sending one of his own team to Dubai to keep the champion mare company on the long flight through Singapore.
And there was some luck involved.
"The problem was the only horses who could accompany her were those who had had the right vaccinations," said McKee.
And, of course, it had to be a gelding - no colt or stallion to distract Sunline from her mission in the $US2 million Dubai Duty Free on March 24.
By almost a miracle, McKee had an unraced maiden in his stable, Lee Majors, for whom a sale to Dubai had fallen through.
"We'd had him injected because he was going to be bought up there, but the money did not show up.
"So we're taking him and we'll be looking to sell him there."
With Emirates Racing covering the cost of the entire flight to Dubai, Lee Majors gets there at no cost.
Emirates chief executive Les Benton would love Sunline to be racing in the $US6 million Dubai World Cup the same day and says the choice of travelling companion for the mare is prophetic.
"Lee Majors was the Six Million Dollar Man.
"Sunline could have won the Dubai World Cup and been the six million dollar woman.
"What a match."
But racing is all about management and placement.
A huge part of why Sunline is getting better even after winning nearly $10 million is the magnificent way the McKee stable has managed her career.
All decisions have been made on the basis of what is right for Sunline, not just for financial return.
Trevor McKee said yesterday Sunline is in sparkling shape to take on the Apollo Stakes in Sydney on Saturday. She will be flown home next Monday and will leave for Dubai on Sunday week.
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If Matamata is not New Zealand's best drying racetrack, you'd like to know what is.
On Friday, when the Racing Club golf tournament was abandoned because the golf course was under water and there was no sign of heavy rain easing, you would have got long odds that the juveniles would have broken 1.10 for 1200m 24 hours later.
Remarkable.
* * *
What's this with Sir Patrick Hogan racing geldings?
The breeding icon had so much fun winning the New Zealand Cup and Wellington Cup with Smiling Like he has just bought handy stayer Count Cristo to try to win the Adelaide Cup.
Count Cristo was recently switched from trainer Katrina Alexander to the Rogerson establishment and is soon to link with the Melbourne arm of the Rogerson stable.
Count Cristo finished second to Smiling Like in the New Zealand Cup and was seventh behind Our Unicorn in the Auckland Cup.
Sir Patrick had a big win when Smiling Like was found to be positively in foal to Cambridge Stud stallion Cape Cross.
* * *
Beaujolais has never had much of a public aura, but Paul O'Sullivan has always rated her.
"She's one of those horses who has lived with bad luck and who has taken forever to develop," he said after Beaujolais impressively sprinted past the opposition in the home straight on Saturday.
"She's a nice mare with a good future," predicted O'Sullivan.
Good would not cover the future for class filly Butterscotch, who did a remarkable job to grab After Eight in the last bound in the sprint on Saturday.
"She's very good," said part owner and trainer Jim Gibbs.
* * *
Sir Patrick Hogan will be busy helping Matamata fruit and vege store manager Heng Sia sort through the list of broodmares he has been offered to take up the free Zabeel service he won in the Appeal Of Zabeel promotion.
Sia decided on the service rather than take the alternative $100,000 cash and says if finances allow, he may even race the resulting foal.
Racing: Star's travelling companion found at home
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