By MIKE DILLON
Sunline could become the racing world's highest stakes earner in the next 12 months.
The champion New Zealand racehorse could nearly double her $10 million earnings by winning her next two main missions, the Dubai World Cup in March and October's Cox Plate in Melbourne.
That would put the five-year-old within $5 million of the record $25 million earned by T M Opera O from Japan, which has won the world's highest overall stake money.
Second highest is the $22 million banked by American-owned and trained Dubai World Cup winner Cigar, who is retired.
The winning stake for this year's Dubai World Cup is $7.5 million, while it is strongly rumoured the W. S. Cox Plate winning stake will be increased to nearly $2 million.
Sunline would need to win only a couple of lead-up races to make up the $10 million, putting the elusive $25 million within reach.
And while it sounds silly, Sunline is improving.
"She is definitely getting better," said normally conservative trainer Trevor McKee following Sunline's 4 1/2-length demolition of the opposition in Saturday's $100,000 Waikato Draught Sprint at Te Rapa.
"I know that sounds silly when you consider what she's done, but we've noticed from the times she's been running in training at Takanini that she's getting faster and stronger all the time."
No one needs less convincing of that than vastly experienced Kiwi horseman Noel Harris, who had the unenviable job of chasing Sunline home on the country's No 1 sprinter, Fritz.
"You know, I didn't rate Sunline for a long time - more than a year," said an amazed Harris. "I thought she was overrated.
"But today, Fritz was rolling forward and sprinting his best early in the home straight and as fast as he was going, which was real fast, Sunline kept pulling away from us.
"I always thought Kingston Town was the best horse I'd ridden against - Sunline's better. She is a freak."
If McKee likes what he sees in Dubai tomorrow, the $US6 million ($13.5 million) Dubai World Cup is a definite option.
Emirates Racing chief executive Les Benton told the Herald yesterday that Sunline would win the Dubai World Cup from what he knew of the mare's outstanding performance on Saturday.
"Some of the leading contenders have been ruled out through injury and it would take a huge effort to beat Sunline."
Racing: Sunline gallops towards $25m
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.