By MIKE DILLON
If you want your photo taken with Sunline, approach the mare's dedicated strapper Claire Bird carefully.
Sunline is so idolised in Australia that Bird admits she finds the pressure of photograph hunters the least desirable aspect of looking after a champion racehorse.
It was the only negative Bird could find when she flew to Melbourne with Sunline on Monday night to prepare for tomorrow's $A200,000 Manikato Stakes.
Bird struggles to get her head around the adulation of Sunline by the Australian racing public.
"I find it difficult to deal with people who perpetually want their photo taken with Sunline.
"They get down to begging you for a photo and many times I've been offered money to set it up.
"It was unbearable on Cox Plate day last year. Several people came up and said they had flown down from Sydney for the day just to have their photo taken with Sunline.
"Sometimes you will go to the bar for a quick drink after the race and they still come up and try to get you to set up a photo chance.
"I know it's nice that they love her so much, but it puts the pressure on."
The prospect of a wet track for the Manikato is good and bad news for the Sunline camp.
While Sunline is well at home in rain-affected footing, co-trainer Trevor McKee does not want the mare's first-up race to be too physically testing.
One advantage though is that probably the mare's biggest danger, group one Newmarket Handicap winner Miss Moneypenny, is a duffer in the wet.
"Apparently the Moonee Valley track is soft at the moment. I wouldn't worry too much about soft conditions, but I wouldn't like to see it get too heavy, not our type of heavy anyway," said McKee.
Sunline has settled in well in Melbourne and got through a quiet solo 600m gallop at Flemington yesterday morning.
"The decent gallop she had here at Takanini on Monday morning set her up for this race."
Sunline faces some formidable opposition, including Dandy Kid who beat Miss Pennymoney in the group three $A100,000 weight-for-age Bletchingly Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 5.
Racing: Souvenir hunters need to be cautious
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