Sales Reject Rothfire Breaks the $2million Barrier

Mark Smith - Saturday April 29

Local hero Rothfire needed to call on every ounce of his courage to capture Saturday’s Group II Channel 7 Victory Stakes at (1200m) at Eagle Farm.

Rothfire takes his earnings to over $2million (image Michael McInally/Racing Queensland)

Ridden by Nash Rawiller for Robert Heathcote, the 5yo son of Rothesay defeated the fast-finishing King Of Sparta (I Am Invincible) by a half-neck with Prince Of Boom (Spirit of Boom) a long head back in third.

With his fifth stakes victory, Rothfire advances his record to nine three and a third from 22 starts with earnings of $2,012,375.

“How great it is to have this horse back and winning the way he did,” stable representative Leah Kilner enthused.

They went quickly in front, but (stablemate) Prince Of Boom dug deep, and both are brilliant horses.

“Big credit to Mel Sharpe; she does a lot of work with Rothfire. Mel knows him inside and out, and congratulations to the whole team, especially Mel.

Nash Rawiller was having his ride on Rothfire, who was making his first appearance since finishing a close-up sixth in the Group 1 Winterbottom stakes at Ascot in December.

“He travelled beautifully and felt great,” Rawiller said.

 “It’s good to be on him on a day like this when he’s been able to produce somewhere near his best and certainly right up there with his fight to win.”

Bred by Wally and Jill Gleeson's Gleeson Thoroughbreds, Rothfire couldn't make a yearling sale, so he was offered to trainer Robert Heathcote for $10,000.

He is the best of three winners from five to race out of the unraced Hussonet (USA) mare Huss On Fire, who was pensioned in 2018.

Lyndhurst Stud’s Rothesay will have a legion of fans this year at a value fee of $4,950. 

Advertisment

Race Result - Channel 7 Victory Stakes Gr2 1200m

Eagle Farm Track: Good(4) Time: 1:10.32
1
Rothfire
- 5g Rothesay (AUS) x Huss On Fire (NZ) (Hussonet (USA))
Tnr: R L Heathcote Rdr: N Rawiller 58.5
2
0.2
King Of Sparta
- 4g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Octavia (AUS) (Holy Roman Emperor (IRE))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: C Schofield 58.5
I Am Invincible
3
0.4
Prince Of Boom
- 4g Spirit Of Boom (AUS) x Dazzling Display (AUS) (Red Dazzler (AUS))
Tnr: R L Heathcote Rdr: James Orman 58.5
Spirit Of Boom
4
0.5
Paulele
- 4h Dawn Approach (IRE) x Chatoyant (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: B Melham 58.5
5
1.4
Private Eye
- 5g Al Maher (AUS) x Confidential Queen (AUS) (Shamardal (USA))
Tnr: Joseph Pride Rdr: B Avdulla 58.5
6
1.8
A Case Of You
- 5h Hot Streak (IRE) x Karjera (IRE) (Key Of Luck (USA))
Tnr: M Price & M Kent Jnr Rdr: Ben Thompson 58.5
7
2.5
Baller
- 7g High Chaparral (IRE) x Fuwa (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Ryan Maloney 58.5
8
3.4
Holyfield
- 5g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Hurtle Myrtle (AUS) (Dane Shadow (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: Brodie Loy 58.5
9
4.5
Dragon Leap
- 6g Pierro (AUS) x Pontiana (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: L O'Sullivan & A Scott Rdr: Damien Thornton 58.5
More Reading...
Galileo Blueblood Wins G3 Parramatta Cup for Darby Racing
Scott Darby and his team at Darby Racing have a happy knack for finding real value at a sale and a blueblood three year-old Galileo colt they purchased from Coolmore at the 2022 Tattersalls Horse in Training for Sale for just 60,000 guineas looks very much a horse on the up.
Sales Reject Rothfire Heads to the JJ Atkins with Half a Million in the Bank
The winner of his first four  starts, the Robert Heathcote-trained gelding Rothfire lost his unbeaten tag when second at his most recent start at the Gold Coast, but the 2yo son of Rothesay bounced right back in Saturday’s Group II Champagne Classic at Eagle Farm to hand boom filly Isotope her first defeat.
'I always thought he was a seven furlong, miler' - Ka Ying Rising Delivers
If we’re talking turf, Hong Kong can justifiably claim to have the best two horses in the world and Ka Ying Rising cemented his part in that brief with another powerful win in the Group I Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Wrote 3YO Impressive on Sunday
Bruce Wallbank describes Midnight Edition as his one-in-a-million horse and the exciting three-year-old gave the Pukekohe horseman plenty to cheer about on his home track on Sunday.
A Torryburn Gasp Before their Plain Bay Fellow Wins G1 No 4
The Torryburn stud team, watching as they always do when their ‘plain bay fellow’ races, would have had a gasp or two mid race but it ended up as easy as it comes with Voyage Bubble making it three Group I wins from his last three starts in the Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Sires With Winners - Sunday February 23
Here is the full list of 73 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Talented Trapeze Artist Gelding Returns a Winner!
Winner of the Group III ATC Carbine Club Stakes last autumn as a colt, talented Trapeze Artist four year-old Ducasse returned to the races as a gelding at Rosehill on Saturday and quickly found his best form to win the Benchmark 100 event over 1400m.
Whoosh!! Rothfire in a Class of His Own in JJ Atkins
Outstanding two-year-old Rothesay gelding Rothfire, who was deemed unworthy of a place in a yearling sale,  left a class field struggling in his wake with a record-breaking performance in Saturday’s Group 1 JJ Atkins Plate (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Queensland Flyer Rothfire Much the Best in Run For The Rose
He came, he saw, he conquered, Rothfire, the $10,000 sales reject from Queensland, looked an inspired choice for the Everest after he blew away a well-performed field of bluebloods in Saturday’s Group II Run To The Rose at Rosehill.
Catalogue Updates From Weekend Stakes Racing
There have been some solid updates to yearling sale catalogues over the weekend from stakes racing including a filly at MM Adelaide that is now a half to a stakes winner, and the very promising West Of Swindon’s half-sister at Inglis Easter.