Desert Sun, the sire of Sunline and damsire of Black Caviar, died at Eliza Park on Monday.  He was 23.

Desert Sun (Green Dancer) retired to stud in New Zealand in 1994 and his most notable Kiwi foal was the filly who raced as Sunline.

Acclaimed Australasia’s greatest miler-middle distance mare of the modern era, Sunline won 32 races including 13 at Group 1 level for earnings over NZ$14.5 million.  The mighty one was named NZ Horse of the Year on four occasions and Australian Horse of the Year three times.

Desert Sun 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 stakes winners 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,” owner Lee Fleming said.  “When he arrived, Sunline was a few months off winning her first Cox Plate.

“It’s tremendous to see the winning trend has continued through his daughters, especially so with Black Caviar.”