ROTHFIRE - A GREAT STORY JUST GOT EVEN BETTER

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 16, 2026

It is hard to describe the enormity of the achievement of Rothfire and the Robert Heathcote’s win in the Group 1 Doomben 10 000.

The eight-year-old stunned his rivals with an absolute professional performance, winning like a good thing at a staggering starting price of $61, to create a forever highlight reel for Heathcote, jockey Brad Rawiller and Rothfire’s large group of ecstatic owners who celebrated a famous victory with cheers and tears that lit up the scene post-race and carried the moment into a place in Queensland racing folklore.

“I watched the race pretty much on my own … that was by choice,” said Heathcote, “and I saw he was wide the whole way … but he was travelling sweet. He never had to alter stride at any stage … Brad (Rawiller) never had to urge the horse along … he never had to restrain him.

“What you saw was the combination of a wonderful horse and a top quality jockey at work … genuine, genuine Group 1 performers. It’s as simple as that.”

But nothing has been simple about Rothfire’s career, which lurched from excellence to distress in the blink of an eye … back to a level of real satisfaction … and which has now reached heights again which could have been dreamed about only by the most optimistic.

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