By Bren O'Brien
Group 1 winner Rothfire (Rothesay) has been ruled out of The Everest and is expected to spend significant time on the sidelines after fracturing a sesamoid when finishing fourth in the G1 Golden Rose S. at Rosehill on Saturday.
Trainer Robert Heathcote confirmed on Sunday that the G1 JJ Atkins S. winner, who had started odds-on favourite in Saturday's 3-year-old feature, would be assessed in the coming days as to whether he would require surgery, but he expected him to miss at least a year of racing.
Trainer Robert Heathcote | Image courtesy of AAP Photos
"He put a hoof down awkwardly in the Golden Rose, I would say he would need a year or so off," Heathcote told reporters. "Whether he will need surgery is unknown at the moment.
"No doubt at the 200 metre mark of the Golden Rose when he deviated suddenly, he suffered the injury. The vets post-race thought it was high in the shoulder."
"He put a hoof down awkwardly in the Golden Rose, I would say he would need a year or so off." - Robert Heathcote
Rothfire was led back to the mounting yard without rider Jim Byrne, who pulled him up quickly and dismounted after the line. Racing NSW stewards reported the gelding was 3/5 lame in the off foreleg in a post-race examination.
Subsequent inspection has revealed the significance of the injury, leaving Heathcote, who paid $10,000 for Rothfire as a yearling, and the connections devastated and ending The Everest fairytale.
Robert Heathcote and the connections of Rothfire were left devastated after the extent of his injury was revealed
"I've been in racing for a long time, injuries happen," Heathcote said. "But this injury happened to come on the biggest stage in Australian racing and three weeks before The Everest.
"We will get over it."
Rothfire had emerged as one of the good news stories of what has been an uncertain time for Australian racing during the COVID-19 pandemic, winning seven of his first eight starts.
The humbly bred gelding won a pair of pre-Christmas 2-year-old races last spring and then returned with another pair of wins, before suffering his first defeat when second in the Aquis QTIS Jewel at the Gold Coast in March.
He rebounded with his first stakes win in the G2 Champagne Classic and then streeted his rivals to win the JJ Atkins S. at Eagle Farm.
"Injuries happen, but this injury happened to come on the biggest stage in Australian racing and three weeks before The Everest. " - Robert Heathcote
He then returned to the track this spring with an emphatic 1.5l win in the G2 Run To The Rose earlier this month, setting himself up as one of the best 3-year-old prospects of the spring.
Rothfire was selected by miRunners as its runner for The Everest, and the expectation was he would account for a similar collection of horses in the Golden Rose as he did in the Run To The Rose.
Rothfire had been selected to fill The Everest slot for miRunners
But the race did not pan out as planned, and Rothfire was forced to work harder for the lead than expected by Mamaragan (Wandjina). He set a good tempo and gave a strong kick for home at the top of the straight, but he appeared to wobble at the furlong post, the point at which Heathcote believed he suffered his injury.
Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) surged home to win the race, edging out his Team Hawkes stablemate North Pacific (Brazen Beau), while King's Legacy (Redoute's Choice), who also came from the rear of the field, finished third.
Rothfire's withdrawal from The Everest means there are still six slots to fill for The Everest, three weeks out from the race.
Golden Rose winner Ole Kirk is expected to contest the G1 Caulfield Guineas, as is third-placed King's Legacy, while North Pacific is a possibility of going to The Everest should he earn a slot.
Last year's Golden Rose S. runner-up Yes Yes Yes went on to win The Everest.
