It is very rare that Group 1 winning connections find time in the moment of success to praise the runner they beat into second place … but that was the case after the Doomben 10,000 where Rob Archbald and James McDonald, the co-trainer and the rider of the winner Sunshine In Paris, paid tribute to the outstanding effort of Rothfire, the runner-up who Sunshine In Paris only ran down in the final strides.
The story behind the story is that it was a marvel that Rothfire was there in the first place, yet alone competing with such aplomb at the elite level all this time later after a career threatening injury cut him down in his prime way back in September 2020.
Ultimately, with careful care and a measured rehabilitation program, Rothfire recovered and was brought back into work after losing twelve months of his racing career at a time when the world appeared to be at his feet.
That was a loss that could not be recovered and there are some moments when trainer Robert Heathcote admits he does “shudder to think what he might have been had he not suffered that injury’, but his thoughts do not linger there.
Instead, they are proudly placed in the present.
How can they not be with Rothfire’s acclaim earning run in the Doomben 10,000 in which he had a wide run, fought on strongly to claim the lead halfway up the home straight and held that advantage with committed conviction until the very last strides when Sunshine In Paris arrived to score a last gasp victory in what was obviously a highly creditable performance of her own.
“Rothfire was as tough as they come,” acknowledged winner rider James McDonald. “I was worried at the furlong that we weren’t going to get to him, but he probably had a tougher run than we did and my mare kept on surging. He gave us one hell of a fright.”
And Sunshine In Paris’s co-trainer Rob Archibald was equally as gracious.
“Rothfire was very brave and he’s a very good horse in his own right. So, it was a real fight over the last 50 metres, and I’m just so pleased she managed to get her head in front,” said Archibald.
And acknowledgement is also due to Tim Clark for his great ride on the Heathcote trained runner and last, but certainly not least, to Heathcote himself whose handling of Rothfire throughout the triumph and heartbreak of his career Rothfire’s career has been impeccable.
For Heathcote himself this latest result from his long-time stable star brought a moment of reflection and quiet satisfaction.
“I knew this iron horse would not let us down,” said Heathcote post-race. “My heart was going at the 200m mark. I jumped out of my chair.
“He’s got owners in tears. That’s what Rothfire does.”
And now Rothfire will move forward … as he does.
“We’ve got the Kingsford-Smith in a couple of weeks … and we’ve got potentially another Stradbroke,” said Heathcote.
So it’s a case of first things first with the Kingsford-Smith being the immediate target.
Rothfire has previously contested the Stradbroke Handicap on two occasions, finishing third behind Alligator Blood in 2022 and second behind Think About it in 2023 when less than 1.50 lengths behind the winner, who went on to win The Everest.
If he was to line up in the Stradbroke again, third-time lucky in the Stradbroke won’t come easy but, after that stirling display in the Doomben 10,000, few would count Rothfire out of genuine Stradbroke contention.
For a career that looked dead and buried over four years ago, that would put an exclamation mark on what is already quite a remarkable story.
