Rothfire trials impressively ahead of The Shorts return

By Jordan Gerrans

It is full steam ahead for the team behind boom galloper Rothfire following his second trial on the comeback trail early on Tuesday morning at Doomben.

The Rob Heathcote-trained Group 1 champion led from the early stages in the opener of the morning and while Tony Gollan’s Jonker was not far behind him, Rothfire claimed the 1000m trial in 57.91 seconds.

Rothfire and Jonker put a decent gap on the classy field in the closing stages of the trial.

As multi-talented caller Chris Barsby noted during Tuesday's trial, Rothfire and Jonker were not vigorously ridden by their jockeys and they cruised to the line.

Speaking on Monday afternoon ahead of the trial, leading Brisbane trainer Heathcote was optimistic of a strong return campaign from last year's JJ Atkins winner.

The connections and Heathcote now have their eyes on the Group 2 The Shorts at Randwick in 18 days’ time before then potentially looking towards the $15 million The Everest in the weeks after.

Reflecting on the journey back from his serious leg injury, Heathcote compared Rothfire’s comeback to racing with what his legend galloper Buffering faced early in his sparkling career.

“The signs are all very positive, but I am a realist, I have been in this caper for a long time and even Buffering – he suffered an injury that precluded him from an entire winter carnival one year,” Heathcote said.

“That was a blessing in disguise as it extended his career, he needed a good lengthy rehab period – as has Rothfire.

“It is one step in the many thousand they take and they certainly get the best care and veterinary attention we can give them.

“It has been quite extraordinary that Rothfire has made this comeback and seemingly everything is going perfectly.”

Premier Sydney hoop James McDonald is being chased to ride Rothfire in his NSW comeback next month, with connections hopeful of securing his commitment in the coming days.

“James McDonald is the first preference from the owners to ride Rothfire and we are fully aware that James is also committed to riding Nature Strip and why wouldn’t he be as he is the number one sprinter in the country,” Heathcote said.

“First of all, I want to win The Shorts and then I would like to get picked up for The Everest.”

Rothfire, a seven-time winner from just nine starts for almost $1 million in prize money, has been on the comeback trail since suffering the injury in the Group 1 Golden Rose in Sydney in September of last year.