7.45pm - by PAUL GUEORGIEFF
MELBOURNE - Greg Childs leaned over Sunline's neck and gave her a kiss.
That moment of emotion from the rider of the champion New Zealand mare as Childs brought Sunline back to the unsaddling enclosure signalled it was all over.
Sunline finished fourth in today's
A$4 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Melbourne after giving her all in the last race of her outstanding career.
She was in front with a round to go and applied the pressure with as much as 1200m to run in the 2040m group one event.
The Moonee Valley crowd erupted inside the last 800m as Sunline still led with Northerly the only chaser. At the 600m it appeared they would be the only two in it.
Northerly headed Sunline early in the run home and showed his great fighting qualities to go on and win by a length. Sunline weakened to fourth.
Second went to Defier who raced in strongly from about fourth position.
A long neck away third was Grandera from the Dubai-based Godolphin stable. He ran on well after settling back in the nine-horse field. There was a length to Sunline, 2.4 lengths from the winner at the finish.
Childs said he nearly broke into tears as he brought Sunline back with the crowd cheering and whistling at her in appreciation.
"There was a moment there where I nearly lost it," Childs told NZPA.
"The whole country, both countries, will have fond memories of a great racehorse. She will live forever in my memory."
Childs said he followed the instruction of co-trainer Trevor McKee and there were no excuses.
"Trevor said to quicken up from the 1200 metres," he said.
"I would like to think we had every chance. We were beaten by a better horse on the day.
"We tried to break them up but I couldn't shake Northerly and we got beat."
Sunline is being retired now so that she can be sold in time to book a high-priced stallion for the Northern Hemisphere breeding season, which starts on January 1.
Four groups of buyers from Dubai and the United States have been wanting to buy Sunline for two years.
"They are the only ones who can afford her," said McKee.
"Many millions", was as close as McKee would come to naming the price tag.
- NZPA
