ROTHFIRE with just one blemish on his race record, completed his sixth, and most impressive win, in Saturday’s Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes for juveniles over 1,400 metres as the race favourite at Eagle Farm in Brisbane.

Trained by Robert Heathcote, the gelded son of the Fastnet Rock stallion Rothesay, a Queensland Guineas winner, blitzed his rivals to win by a facile three-and-a-half lengths ahead of the Not A Single Doubt filly Gotta Kiss and the Unencumbered gelding The Drinks Cart.

“Wow, I’m lost for words and as everyone knows that’s pretty rare for me,” said Heathcote. “There was such a big build up to this race and I love the horse so much I think that’s why I’m pretty emotional – he’s a star.

“He climbed his Everest today, no pun intended. But we do want to go to The Everest with him and now that he’s come out here, he has to be right up there in the ratings.

“We’ll give him a nice break, set a programme in concrete beginning with The Everest, and then possibly onto The Coolmore, 1,200 metres up the straight at Flemington he’d love it. I have compared him to Buffering (a seven-time Group 1 winning sprinter) and in time I would love to see him travel all over the world.”

Rejected by the sales company on his yearling sale application, breeders Gleeson Thoroughbreds offered Rothfire to Heathcote for $10,000 and since debuting in October last year has earned just over $700,000 to date.

Unsurprisingly, Heathcote has knocked back huge offers from Hong Kong for his horse. “The only way he will go to Hong Kong is if I take him myself,” he said.

“A lot of the owners (20 are listed) are new to racing. It’s just another example of how racing is not just for kings and queens, it’s for everybody.”

SECOND in the 1,400 metre Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap a year earlier, the Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained Tyzone returned to Eagle Farm last Saturday to ‘complete the deal’. “From the time we ran second last year we dedicated ourselves to preparing him to come back this year and go one better, for everything to fall into place and for the horse to do what he did today is just amazing,” said Toby Edmunds who teamed up with his father as a co-trainer at the start of this racing season.

“Horses simply don’t do what he does. He’s a winning machine at the highest level and he does it the tough way as well.” Ridden by ex-South African Robbie Fradd, the Written Tycoon gelding settled back in the 18-horse field.

Forced wide on the bend, Fradd was at least 10-wide making his run, needing the full length of the straight to run down the Zoustar mare Madam Rouge and win by a half-head with the Nicconi gelding Niccanova running onto third. The time was a track record of 1m 20.43secs.