The Group 1 action of the Perth Summer Racing Carnival continues this weekend at Ascot Racecourse with Rob Heathcote’s Queensland visitor Rothfire favourite to take out the $1.5 million Winterbottom Stakes (1200m).
Rothfire is favourite to win the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes this weekend in Perth. Photo: Steve Hart.
A capacity field of sprinters does battle in this year’s Winterbottom, with Rothfire heading the markets at Ladbrokes at $4.20 and firming.
He drew ideally on Tuesday night in the Winterbottom Stakes barrier draw with gate three and has two-time Winterbottom winning hoop Damien Oliver aboard for the ride.
Rothfire is after his second career Group 1 success after taking out Brisbane’s JJ Atkins as a two-year-old.
The now five-year-old son of Rothesay has been in strong form this spring including a win fresh at The Valley in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m).
He was competitive in his two subsequent runs at the same track at elite level only 1.85 lengths off Coolangatta when fifth in the Moir before a Manikato Stakes second to Bella Nipotina in the wet.
Last time out at Flemington on Stakes Day Rothfire ran eighth to Roch ‘N’ Horse in the Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) at 40/1 and was far from disgraced just 1.2 lengths beaten.
Two horses follow closely in Winterbottom Stakes betting both at $6 for the win with the locally-trained Elite Street, winner of this race back in 2020, and James Cummings’ last start The Hunter winner Vilana out of Sydney.
The Dan Morton-trained Elite Street looks to emulate Buffering (2013 and 2015) who won two editions of the Winterbottom Stakes on non-successive years.
He was third in the race last year as the beaten favourite in an unsuccessful title defence and shapes-up as a genuine hope again this season off a string of good lead-up runs in WA.
Vilana has work to do from a wider gate 12 draw in his first run in Perth.
The four-year-old Hallowed Crown entire is two from three this prep and back down to 1200m for the first since March having raced over 1300m or further in his last seven starts.
He won the Silver Eagle (1300m) fresh before suffering a wide run from the outside gate (20 of 20) when eighth to I Wish I Win in the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m).
Vilana atoned with a consolation prize at Newcastle on November 12 winning the $1 million The Hunter (1300m).
He is one of two in the line-up for the Godolphin stable who also saddle-up this spring’s Group 2 Schillaci Stakes winning four-year-old Paulele ($11).
Other in-form runners in the mix include last start Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes winner This’ll Testya ($10) who is the early market mover, runner-up in that same key lead-up Red Can Man ($21) and the ultra-consistent Massimo ($34) who shapes up as value after winning the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) last time out on November 5.
The Winterbottom Stakes 2022 runs as Ascot Race 8 on Saturday’s nine-race card in Perth.
