Vale dual Group-winning Rothesay

Written by Kristen Manning

Cover image courtesy of Lyndhurst Stud

Glenlogan Park and Lyndhurst Stud have advised that one of Queensland’s best sires in recent years - the dual Group-winning Fastnet Rock horse Rothesay, passed away late last week at the age of 17.

Bred and - after being passed in at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale - raced by Phillipa Duncan's clients Sue Suduk and Michael Ryan, Rothesay was a regally bred horse who hit the ground running, at his debut beating fellow Fastnet Rock stakes winner Stryker in a juvenile contest at Rosehill.

That was his only start at two and he continued to progress for the Gerald Ryan stable, winning first up at Rosehill at three and making his way through the classes - at his sixth start racing away to an easy win having done it tough out wide from an outside gate in the G3 Lord Mayor's Cup.

A few weeks later he took that form to the G2 Queensland Guineas in which he was all the more impressive, putting on display an electric turn of foot with Ryan telling the media that “I have said before that he is potentially the best horse I have trained and I would love to take him to Royal Ascot next year.”

“He is still learning and is going to be something special,” he said, adding that that year's G1 .S Cox Plate was to be the then 3-year-old's aim.

A big spring did look to be within Rothesay's reach after his first up fast-finishing second behind More Joyous (More Than Ready {USA}) in the G2 Theo Marks S. but as an odds-on favourite at his next start a bleeding attack saw him retired to stud.

A definite case of 'what might have been' and Gerald Ryan continues to rate him him highly.

“He is still nearly the best horse I have trained and unfortunately we never really saw the best of him. The clocker at Rosehill has been doing it for 26 years and he thinks he was the most naturally talented horse he ever put the stop watch on.”

Rothesay is one of the two stakes winners - Sensei (also at stud in Queensland) the other - for Schiaparelli (Woodman {USA}) whose grandson Coleman (Pierata) is a dual stakes winning 2-year-old and ran third in Saturday's G3 Pago Pago S.

Schiaparelli's dam is the triple Group 1 winner Canny Lass (Bletchingly), full sister to the high-class racehorse and stallion Canny Lad.

Initially standing at Glenlogan Stud, Rothesay moved to the Kruger family's Lyndhurst Stud once Glenlogan ceased standing stallions.

His first crop (born in 2012) was a good one, producing the stakes winners Havasay, In His Stride and Too Good To Refuse but it was his 2017 born son Rothfire who would put his name in lights - that Robert Heathcote-trained gelding a 10-time winner of over $3.1 million in stakes.

It was his win in the G1 JJ Atkins S. in 2020 that saw a sizeable increase in support for Rothesay who that spring served his largest book of 177 mares - and those horses are now two, meaning there is much more to come.

Lyndhurst Stud's Jeff Kruger is looking forward to seeing those horses hit the track in the next couple of years, noting that whilst Rothfire won a big 2-year-old race, most of Rothesay's progeny are not early maturers.

Jeff is proud of Rothesay's stud record, noting that “he sired winners of a number of races I would describe as 'time-honoured'... Havasay won the Listed Ramornie H. twice whilst Jadentom won the Listed Weetwood H.”

Jeff also loved Rothesay's personality, noting that “of all the stallions I have worked with he is number one on temperament along with Sequalo.”

“You could do anything with him, he was a pleasure to work with.”

Glenlogan Park's Steve Morley agreed - “he was a terrific horse who has been a wonderful stallion for many breeders, owners and trainers and we are really proud of the contribution he has made.”

“I think he can continue to have a significant influence on the breeding industry through his daughters for many years to come.”

Rothesay will forever call Lyndhurst Stud home, his ashes to lie next to Sequalo, the Queensland legend who died in 2014.