Rothfire turns back the clock in Doomben 10,000

Unjustly neglected in the betting as a “has-been”, old marvel Rothfire proved his doubters wrong with a stunning victory in the A$1.5 million (S$1.34 million) Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1,200m) on May 16.

Punters could, however, be forgiven for shying away at Robert Heathcote’s former 2020 Group 1 JJ Atkins (1,400m) winner as a boom three-year-old, in the Queensland premier race.

No doubt the Rothesay now-eight-three-year-old still thrust his name up in lights last October in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes (1,200m) at Randwick to bring up his haul of wins to 11.

But the runs had been hit-and-miss since. His first-up effort beating one home in Rockhampton on May 5 was hardly a reference ahead of a Group 1 race that had drawn a stellar cast of sprinters from both Queensland and elsewhere such as the favourite, Victorian Jimmysstar, and the well-backed Napoleonic from Sydney.

The booking of Brad Rawiller, himself a Caulfield Cup-winning jockey, who has seen better days, might also explain his long odds of $284 on the Singapore Pools tote.

To make matters worse, the widest journey the heavyweight jockey gave Rothfire – a horse he was riding for the first time – must have lengthened up the odds at least twofold.

Into the Doomben straight, the swoopers descended thick and fast the moment pacesetter Zarastro (Daniel Moor) gave the first signals of distress.

Spicy Martini (Taylor Marshall), who had travelled in the box-seat throughout, drew first blood with a sneaking run on the inside, but the outside finishers were looming large.

Napoleonic, who got his berth as an emergency acceptor at the eleventh hour, made the biggest impression under champion jockey James McDonald.

But, snapping right on his heels, was the smokie nobody had seen coming. In his pink and black checks, Rothfire was making light of his energy-sapping run on the outskirts with a barnstorming burst.

With Rawiller riding for dear life, Rothwire sustained a gallop to the line to hold Spicy Martini at bay. Toby Edmonds’ sprinter just nudged Napoleonic out for second place by a nose, while Jimmysstar (Ethan Brown) ran on late for fourth another 1.39 lengths away.

The packed Doomben grandstand may not have got a popular result, but they were certainly privileged witnesses to the day an eight-year-old became the first to join the Doomben 10,000 roll of honour.

“What a journey this horse has taken us on. Oli Peoples rides him in all his work, he’s got tears flowing,” said Heathcote, who was a tour guide before training successfully in Brisbane in the last 30-odd years.

“I was here when Black Caviar won, Buffering ran third and I was here when Buff got knocked off, so redemption is sweet.

“It’s a very special story and I thought we’d reached the pinnacle when he won the Sydney Stakes, but this one tops it off.

“He’s won nearly A$6 million for us now, so it’s just unbelievable.

“This is the culmination of my career. I’ve had many highlights but, to win this race in front of such a wonderful crowd against a quality field and with all my family here, it means the world to me. It’s just super.”

Heathcote let on that searching far down south for the jockey has paid dividends.

“What a ride by Brad Rawiller, he came up here for one ride. I love him,” he said.

“It was a bit of a crazy week because we didn’t know who was going to be riding him. There was a stage there when it was going to be one of the local boys.

“But I really wanted one of the southern boys because they just get the job done. Brad got it done for us today.”

Rawiller, whose brother Nash’s mount Private Eye was withdrawn, saw his 26th Group 1 success as a strong signal not to write off veterans, both of the human and equine kind.

“It makes it even better for Nash to greet me when I came back in,” said Rawiller.

“I had so much confidence coming into the race, I know you could make a case for him being past his best, but the two iron men have combined.

“It was D-Day for both of us, and I thought I had a genuine chance in a Group 1. I’ve won 26 now and I’d like to think I’ve got some more left in me.”

manyan@sph.com.sg