Sunline's condition improving
15 Nov 2008
By Rob Burnet
Media reports on Saturday that New Zealand-bred mare Sunline (NZ), who dominated racing around 1999/2000, was under a serious life threatening laminitis problem have been exgaggerated according to her vet Ivan Bridge.
Sunline, who made inducted into the Australian Hall Of Fame in 2002 following her epic race track career, was reported to be having complications following surgery for colic earlier this year,and that she is suffering from laminitis that might have required a decison on her ongoing well-being.
However, Bridge, speaking on New Zealand NewsTalkZB Radio - newstalkzb.co.nz - on Saturday, said that Sunline's conditon was improving, and that her condition had, in fact, been much worse some six weeks ago.
Bridge said that international experts on the conditon, which can cause a horse to founder and ulimately lead to being put down, had been consulted, and the mare was recovering.
Sunline, 13, by Desert Sun out of Songline, was bred by Susan Archer and Michael Martin. She was twice the Australian Horse Of The Year and she campaigned in New Zealand, Australia, Dubai and Hong Kong.
She won the WFA WS Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley twice, in 1999 and 2000, as a four and five -year-old respectively, and she was second the following year to Northerly. Her 1999 winning time of 2.05.40 has not been surpassed since.
Sunline won 32 of 48 starts in her career spanning 1998 to 2002. Her victories included the two Cox Plates, and a Group I Hong Kong International Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin, and two Group I Doncaster Handicaps over 1600m at Randwick in 1999 and 2002. I
In the latter she carried 58kg defeating Shogun Lodge and Defier, such was her racing ability. She earned stakes of $11.3 million.