Tuesday, 26 June 2012: Desert Sun, the imported stallion who will always be remembered as the sire of champion mare Sunline, has died at the age of 23.
 | Desert Sun
Photo by Studs | |
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Desert Sun, who is also the dam sire of the current superstar Black Caviar, died at Eliza Park Stud in Victoria.
Desert Sun 
, a son of top international sire Green Dancer, raced in the UK and US before he was retired in 1994 to start a stud career in New Zealand.
He stood for five season in NZ where his most notable foal was the filly who raced as Sunline.
A 13-time Group One winner, Sunline won two Cox Plates and propelled Desert Sun into the breeding spotlight when he stood his first Australian season at Eliza Park in 1999.
He shuttled to Ireland for northern hemisphere seasons from 2000 to 2006 and was retired from active stud duty in 2010.
He has sired more than 450 winners of more than 1500 races in 17 countries and his progeny have won more than $50 million prizemoney with his other notable performers including G1 winners La Bella Dama and Our Egyptian Raine.
He is the sire of more than 30 stakeswinners and also the sire of Helsinge, the dam of Black Caviar.
“Desert Sun has been a truly remarkable sire and has gone a long way to putting Eliza Park on the map,” said Eliza Park's Lee Fleming when the stallion was retired form stud duty.
“Desert Sun's acquisition in 1999 really turned things around. When he arrived Sunline was a few months off winning her first Cox Plate, while La Bella Dama and Our Egyptian Raine were yet to win their Group Ones.“
“It's tremendous to see that the winning trend has continued through his daughters' progeny, especially so with Black Caviar."
