By Trenton Akers
12:16pm • 04 September 2022

 

A lost phone could play a key role in determining Rothfire's spring campaign following his blistering return to form at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Trainer Rob Heathcote says his win in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) over fellow Queenslander Zoustyle has attracted the interest of The Everest slot holders, but there is one problem.

"I left my phone in the cab on the way home from the airport in Brisbane," Heathcote laughed.

"We are trying to track it down now. I had contact from an Everest slot holder on my lost phone."

While the $15m lure of The Everest is tempting, Heathcote says he is more than happy campaigning in Melbourne for the time being, as he builds towards the Group 1 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley in three weeks time.

"An old saying my father used to use a lot was ‘little fish are sweet,'" Heathcote said.

"The Moir is worth $1m and the Manikato is worth $2m, that ain't little fish.

"But while The Everest is exciting and all the rest of it, if the best horses in the land like Nature Strip, Eduardo and Masked Crusader are in Sydney, I will happily stay in Melbourne."

Rothfire's victory continued the golden run from Queensland horses in Victoria after Uncommon James and Shooting For Gold landed victories earlier in the carnival.

"It (Rothfire-Zoustyle quinella) was good for Queensland racing, on top of what the O'Dea-Hoysted boys have done, we are putting our hand up this spring," Heathcote said.

To remind him of how far his stable star has come, Heathcote keeps the two bone chips that were removed from Rothfire's legs after his sesamoid injury two years ago on the bookshelf in his office.

The Group 1-winning trainer says it is a testament to patience and resilience to see his sprinter competing at the top level again.

"They (bone chips) have sat on my office desk for two years, I look at them every day pretty much," he said.

"It is only horse people and vets that understand what this horse has done to come back.

"Normally, they don't come back from fractured sesamoids, it's adios amigos."

It comes as Rothfire's stablemate Startantes made the three-horse shortlist for Queensland Horse of the Year, to be announced next month.

The Group 1 Tatts Tiara winner has been nominated alongside the Desleigh Forster-trained Apache Chase and David Vandyke's Gypsy Goddess, who is on a Golden Eagle path later in the spring.