Rothfire Leads to Rejuvenation of Unlikely Horse Trainer Rob Heathcote | 2 | Wednesday, September 23, 2020
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | Dedicated to the Australasian bloodstock industry - subscribe for free: Click here STEVE MORAN | THE INCOMPARABLE GEORGE MOORE - PAGE 16 Rothfire leads to Read Tomorrow's Issue For: rejuvenation of unlikely Road To The Cup What's on horse trainer Rob Heathcote Metropolitan meetings: Canterbury Brilliant three-year-old maintains short-priced favouritism for (NSW), Flemington (VIC), Eagle Farm Golden Rose (QLD), Belmont (WA) Race meetings: Strathalbyn (SA), Matamata (NZ) Barrier trials / Jump-outs: Newcastle (NSW), Wangaratta (VIC), Warrnambool (VIC), Mornington (VIC) International meetings: Happy Valley (HK), Redcar (UK), Goodwood (UK), Kempton (UK), Greyville (SAF) International sales: Hokkaido September Sale (JPN), Keeneland September Yearling Sale Books 3-6 (USA) Rothfire MAGIC MILLIONS gelding who comprehensively downed his BY TIM ROWE | @ANZ_NEWS blueblood rivals first-up in the Run To The ob Heathcote was at Doomben Rose (Gr 2, 1200m), was installed as a firming yesterday putting a team of horses even-money favourite after nine acceptances through their paces in jump- were received for the Group 1 three-year-old MORNING BRIEFING outs and barrier trials, three new feature on Saturday. seasonR two-year-olds among them, when the Rothfire drew the second widest barrier The Star secures acceptances for the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, (eight), a gate that does not overly concern a Behemoth for Everest 1400m) were released. confident Heathcote, who had his mind on Just five spots remain up for grabs in the world’s The self-taught trainer’s stable star matters closer to home when the Golden Rose richest turf race, the $15 million The Everest Rothfire (Rothesay), an unfashionably bred field was confirmed. Continued on page 2>> (1200m), after The Star snapped up Behemoth (All Too Hard) yesterday to continue his amazing rags- FIRST SEASON SIRE RUNNERS | CAPITALIST, FROSTED & MIKKI ISLE - PAGE 24 to-riches tale. Morning Briefing page 5 >> Follow us @anz_news | 1 | Brought to you by Rothfire leads to rejuvenation of unlikely horse trainer Rob Heathcote | 2 | Wednesday, September 23, 2020 << Continued from page 1 “It’s just been a long day. I’ve had A winner of six of his seven about 20 jump-outs but that’s what we do on a Tuesday,” said Heathcote starts at two, with the J J Atkins SOON AFTER HE HAD when contacted by ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday. Plate (Gr 1, 1400m) capping “I had a couple (of two-year-olds) who went quite nicely. It’s funny a stellar season, it’s Rothfire’s A COUPLE OF LITTLE because it was actually this day last year when I first gave Rothfire (a jump- ability to absorb pressure that TRIALS, THEN HE WAS out) and he went so well. Soon after he had a couple of little trials, then he sets him apart from most other OFF TO THE RACES AND was off to the races and away he went.” horses, according to Heathcote, AWAY HE WENT Reports coming from jockey Jim Byrne, who galloped Rothfire in who also reached Group 1 - ROB HEATHCOTE Sydney yesterday, and Melanie Sharpe added to Heathcote’s enthusiasm heights earlier this century with heading into the Golden Rose and The Everest (1200m) three weeks’ later. marvellous sprinter Buffering “Melanie, my racing manager, looks after him, rides him slow work, (Mossman) on seven occasions. and everything’s been perfect (since the Run To The Rose),” the trainer “The beauty with my lad is that he has a remarkable ability to switch said. off, so he can lead, sit outside the lead or he can take a trail depending on “Jimmy Byrne gave him his final gallop this morning in company with what the other riders want to do,” he said. another horse and he went super, so we’re happy. “Obviously, he has ability, but it’s his beautiful, calm demeanor and “He’s going into the race against top horses. They’re Group 1 horses - his relaxed nature (that helps him in a race). King’s Legacy, North Pacific … they’re very, very good horses but Rothfire “He’s pretty much had it from day one and nothing fires him up. When looks like he’s one out of the box. a jockey asks him to settle, he comes back off the bit, he travels and then “When you’re even-money favourite anything but a win is a he has that really nice ability to quicken up.” disappointment. But I’m fortunate I’m not in my youth, I’m in the twilight The emergence of Rothfire as arguably Australia’s best three-year- of my career, so I have been there before. I’ll be a little bit nervous, but old has also reinvigorated the five-time champion Brisbane trainer who that’s covered by the fact that he’s a bloody good horse and I’m confident was contemplating semi-retirement which led to him briefly forming a in the horse. Whatever beats him I think will win.” partnership with Chris Anderson. Continued on page 3>> “We will prepare him for the Breeders’ Plate. Kerrin McEvoy really liked his action and felt really good when he lengthened out and he called up to secure the ride on him as well, which is good and a nice endorsement from Kerrin.” Follow us @anz_news | 2 | Brought to you by Rothfire leads to rejuvenation of unlikely horse trainer Rob Heathcote | 3 | Wednesday, September 23, 2020 << Continued from page 2 “I enjoy what I do but I looked at “I made a lot of mistakes but everybody makes mistakes, as long as retirement with the first stages of it a year or so ago. I did the partnership you try and learn from them. I know it’s an old cliche but that’s pretty with Chris Anderson and that was thinking long-term to have a bit of an much how I’ve done it.” exit strategy,” he said. That naivety and willingness to learn arguably worked in Heathcote’s “That was an experiment and I wouldn’t say it failed, but it wasn’t for favour when he applied for a trainer’s licence. either of us and, to be honest, it probably put a bit of air in my tyres and “I was a strapper for six months, so I picked up enough knowledge along comes a horse like Rothfire and ‘holy shit, away we go’.” to convince the stewards of the day that I knew what I was doing. I Parts of Heathcote’s unconventional entry into racing - he was a have always been able to talk my way out of most problems and I European tour guide-turned-horse trainer - have been well documented managed to convince them that I had some idea what was going but it is a path that almost certainly would not be possible to achieve now. on,” he said. “The only experience I had was going to the races in England with my “You ask ten trainers a question, you could get ten different answers brother Wayne. He financed a bookmaker, so in essence my brother was on how to train a horse or what to do in a specific situation. I was an open a very, very early version of Betfair (in England),” he recounted yesterday. book and I would try so many different things, so in essence I threw the “I went to all the racetracks around England with rule book out the window. him during my off-season from the travel industry.” “I was lucky, in my first season I enjoyed immediate success and I’ve So, upon returning to Australia after 15 years pretty much been in the top three or four trainers in Queensland ever overseas, Tasmanian Heathcote relocated to since. My brother Wayne owned stables in Brisbane, so I had a good leg Brisbane where his unique “apprenticeship” up and he loved a punt. began. “He had horses with (Angus) Armanasco early and Tommy Smith, “I have never worked for a trainer in my life. Bobby Thomsen. He’d been in racing all his life, so really without him (I That’s the irony. I pretty much read it out of a book. I wouldn’t be training). had half a dozen of my brother’s horses thrust upon me “For someone to do it nowadays is probably impossible.” and I said, ‘OK, how do we do this?’ and away we went,” he said. Related links - Golden Rose Stakes acceptances "Stellar Magic, it really thundered home over the concluding stages... It’s the real eye catcher, Stellar Magic!" Follow us @anz_news | 3 | Brought to you by KALASHNIKOV (ex Rough Ride) won at the first official 2YO trials at Randwick by THE LARGEST MARGIN OF THE DAY – 5 lengths. Written Tycoon – Kitalpha (NZ), by Fusaichi Pegasus (USA) NEWGATE.com.au +61 (02) 6543 8395 Fee: $44,000 inc GST Morning Briefing -Sponsored by Woodside Park Stud Wednesday, September 23, 2020 2020 VIRTUAL ONLINE STALLION PARADE NOW MORNING BRIEFING Love is all around AUSTRALIA IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE FOR for Freedmans The Star secures HIM TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY Richard and Michael Freedman are looking forward to running two of their promising Behemoth for Everest LIKE THIS, BUT ALSO REALLY Just five spots remain up for grabs in the world’s three-year-olds at Rosehill on Saturday. They WELL DESERVED richest turf race, the $15 million The Everest will be represented by unbeaten gelding Love - GRAND SYNDICATES’ (1200m), after The Star snapped up Behemoth Tap (Tapit) and Group 2-placed Forbidden OF SAM LYONS (All Too Hard) yesterday to continue his Love (All Too Hard).