Rothfire on track to be winter force with Victory Stakes win

Rothfire fought off the challengers to win the Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography

Gun Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller helped to write another fairytale chapter in the extraordinary Rothfire story as the Group 1-winning gelding went bang in his own Eagle Farm backyard.

Rothfire has staged several injury comebacks throughout a fabulous career and his epic Group 2 Victory Stakes victory showed he would be a Group 1 force in the Queensland winter carnival.

Sitting outside stablemate Prince Of Boom in the run, Rothfire showed his class and his fighting spirit as he went for home and then held off a late charge from Snowden weapon King Of Sparta.

What a race! ????

Rothfire gets the head in front in the G2 Victory Stakes. @nashhotpic.twitter.com/QyeacHCkco

— 7HorseRacing ???? (@7horseracing) April 29, 2023

Five-year-old Rothfire has been to plenty of big dances in racing but proved he is up for more Group 1 challenges including the Kingsford-Smith Cup where he is now an $8 chance.

Rawiller was riding Rothfire for the first time and could not help but be impressed as he urged the sprinter to victory.

"Obviously there's been a lot of work and a lot of time put into a horse like Rothfire, they never lose their will to win do they? Great to see," Rawiller said.

"He travelled beautifully, he felt great.

"It was good to be on him on a day like this when he's been able to produce somewhere near his best and that's certainly right up there with his fight to win."

Rothfire races past stablemate Prince Of Boom. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography

It could be a big 24 hours for Rothfire's trainer Rob Heathcote who was in Rockhampton on Saturday overseeing the preparation of Group 1 winner Startantes for the $775,000 The Archer on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Queensland's premier trainer Tony Gollan felt a sense of relief as his exciting galloper Antino took another step towards a potential Stradbroke Handicap mission.

Antino ($1.70) was expected to win the 1400m Benchmark 85 Handicap and did it in style as he came from a long way off the race to swoop to victory.

Gollan hopes the victory boosts Antino's rating to the point where he gets a run in the Group 3 BRC Sprint in three weeks.

Winners win!

Antino was too good for them today, he takes his impressive record to 6 wins from 7 starts!@JimmyOrman the pilot for @tonygollan. pic.twitter.com/Ur422BZzfW

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 29, 2023

The BRC Sprint offers the winner a golden ticket into the Stradbroke.

Antino's Stradbroke odds were cut from $11 to $8 with TAB after Saturday's win as Gollan dreams of his first Stradbroke win.

"It (the BRC Sprint) is a win and you're in to the Stradbroke scenario," Gollan said.

"That's probably our real goal, our next race, if we can win that then we can dare to dream for something bigger.

"He's a really good chaser this horse, he's such a versatile horse now.

"We've ridden him upfront and won, come from last and won with him. When you can get that midfield spot like that he was really dominant late."

Jockey Robbie Fradd's career was celebrated at Eagle Farm on Saturday with jockeys organising a special guard of honour for the popular hoop who retired after a heart scare.