Rothfire wins Doomben Ten Thousand, makes rare Group 1 history at eight

Rothfire turned the Doomben Ten Thousand into a tribute to staying power, running down a quality sprint field on Saturday, May 16, 2026, and becoming the oldest horse ever to win the race since its first running in 1933.

The eight-year-old gelding covered the 1200 metres in 1:10.44 to land the $1.5 million Group 1, with Spicy Martini 1.01 lengths away in second and Napoleonic a nose back in third. Rothfire carried 58.5 kilograms, was sent out at $61, and gave Queensland trainer Rob Heathcote one of the most emotional wins of his career as the Doomben crowd rode every stride with him.

The result carried real historical weight. Racing Queensland said no eight-year-old had previously won the Doomben Ten Thousand, and only three seven-year-olds had managed it before Rothfire. That places him in rare company, not just as a sentimental veteran but as a horse still capable of beating the best sprint talent in the country.

He did it the hard way, too. Brad Rawiller settled him back from a wide draw, let the gelding find rhythm before the turn, then asked for a sustained run in the straight. Rothfire responded with a late burst that looked closer to a horse in his prime than one with 43 starts already on the ledger. His official record now stands at 12 wins, eight seconds and two thirds, with career earnings of $5,809,375 after the latest prize money and bonus were added.

That is what makes the win more than nostalgia. Rothfire already had top-level credentials from his J.J. Atkins Stakes victory as a two-year-old in 2020, and his runner-up finish in last year’s Doomben Ten Thousand behind Sunshine In Paris showed he was still close to the mark. On Saturday he finished the job, and the Queensland-trained horse reminded the carnival that durability matters when it is matched with placement and enough speed to still threaten at the top level.

The Doomben 10,000 opened the Queensland Racing Carnival’s Group 1 action and kicked off a trio of million-dollar sprints, with the Brisbane weekend also sharing the spotlight with Magic Round. For Heathcote and Rawiller, it was redemption. For Rothfire, it was proof that an old sprinter can still own the big stage.