Sunline-Prawn clash back on track

The on-off rematch between Fairy King Prawn and Sunline could be back on again, it emerged yesterday. The New Zealand wonder mare's connections said they were edging towards running her in the Dubai Duty Free on March 24 - the US$2 million Group Two race already confirmed as a target for Fairy King Prawn.

The news sets up the mouthwatering prospect of another showdown between the pair following their epic battle in the Hong Kong Mile in December, when Sunline won by a short head.

The clash had looked unlikely when Sunline was earmarked for the Dubai World Cup on dirt, but the possible switch to the 1,800-metre turf event follows a trip to Dubai last week by her trainer Trevor McKee.

McKee said yesterday: 'At this stage I have a slight preference for the Group Two event, due mainly to the limited preparation Sunline has had.'

Sunline made her first appearance since the Hong Kong Mile 10 days ago with an easy home victory over 1,400 metres, and she is due to run at the same trip in the Apollo Stakes in Sydney on March 3 prior to her departure for Dubai.

On the Web site dedicated to Sunline, McKee added: 'We will see how she comes through the Apollo, but all being well she will leave Auckland on March 11 and travel via Singapore.

'We have been able to work out her travel plans so we are not sitting in a plane for hours in Singapore and this was one of the key problems we wanted to sort out before we committed totally to Dubai.'