Almost a national treasure and certainly one of the greatest racemares in the history of Australasian racing, Sunline visited Rock of Gibraltar in 2003.
The result was an athletic bay filly with which Sunline's owners, the McKees, are obviously impressed given their decision to go back to the Coolmore stallion this breeding season.
Rock of Gibraltar, who broke Mill Reef's 30-year-old record in winning a world-record seven successive Group One races, was a dual Group One winner at two and officially the world's champion 3yo miler in 2002.
Rated the best son ever of legendary sire-of-sires Danehill, Rock of Gibraltar is also from the family of Mill Reef's sire Riverman.
Coolmore's Colm Santry inspected Sunline's first Rock of Gibraltar foal recently and describes her as "a beautiful filly, with Sunline's great strength, Rock of Gibraltar's great quality, the athletic balance of both and that exceptional action that Danehill-line horses have - the whole package just what you'd hope for from a mating of these two great racehorses."
Rock of Gibraltar's first sale weanlings of 2005 have made a huge impression, seven of them at Inglis and Magic Millions having sold for an average of nearly $260,000.
His colt out of Skating, moreover, made an Australian weanling record price of $660,000 at the recent Magic Millions June weanling sale.
Very nearly booked out for this coming season at his fee of $82,500 (inc. gst), Rock of Gibraltar will again serve many of Australasia's best mares.
With a first crop boasting the progeny of mares like Sunline, Skating and others, the son of Danehill has certainly been afforded every opportunity to add the title 'Danehill's best sire son' to that of 'Danehill's best racing son'.