By MIKE DILLON
Few in Melbourne saw yesterday's cloudless sky as brilliantly as Sunline's co-trainer Trevor McKee.
McKee is looking for the champion mare to reverse her first-up defeat in tomorrow's $A200,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) and wants a dry track to help facilitate that.
The Caulfield track was badly rain-affected mid-week, was
back to the better side of soft yesterday morning and was predicted to provide a good racing surface tomorrow if the weather remained fine.
"We want the track to be as good as possible," said co-trainer Stephen McKee.
"Caulfield is never an ideal surface for Sunline when there is a bit of rain around.
"She won this race last year, looking comfortable enough, but Greg [rider Greg Childs] said she was never really that happy in the footing."
Childs is concerned about tomorrow's race.
"I'm not convinced that she handles Caulfield that well. She didn't really ping when she won this race last year."
As you would expect, Sunline will be a much trimmer, fitter horse than the one beaten into second by Piavonic in her first-up run in the group one Manikato Stakes in Melbourne two weeks ago.
"She galloped well last Saturday morning," said Stephen McKee.
"Dad went over there at the end of the weekend and was happy with the way she went at speed on Tuesday.
"He says she looks good. She has tightened a little bit as you would expect after a race and a couple of gallops.
"There is no reason why she won't be fitter this time."
The stable has no set plans on how Sunline will be ridden tomorrow.
"In these big sprint races there is no reason for Greg to go out and lead on her."
"If the opposing riders want to go crazy out in front on their horses like they did in the Manikato she can sit off them."
Piavonic has been cleared to challenge Sunline again after being stood down until she satisfactorily barrier trialled following her reluctance to enter the stalls on Manikato Stakes day.
The mare passed the barrier test at Mornington on Tuesday.
Rodney Douglas, foreman for trainer Tony Noonan, said a blindfold would be used on the mare at the start tomorrow.
