A bronze statue commemorating champion New Zealand mare Sunline will be unveiled at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland next week.
The permanent memorial, which will stand beside her grave just outside the entrance to the stables, honours the mare who won Group One races in three countries and was named Horse of the Year three times in Australia as well as being a four-time New Zealand champion.
Trained by Trevor and Stephen McKee, Sunline raced 48 times for 32 wins and 12 placings.
Her Group One wins include two Cox Plates, two Doncaster Handicaps, the Hong Kong Mile and two Waikato Sprints in her homeland.
An inaugural inductee into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame and a member of the Australian Hall of Fame, Sunline died in 2009 after a long battle with laminitis.
Sunline produced four foals, two of which, Sunstrike and Sun Ruler, were winners on the racetrack.
The statue, which has been two years in the making, will be unveiled on Auckland Cup day, March 7.
AAP TURF