Rothfire still battling stone bruise as Stradbroke Handicap hopes are fading fast
Heathcote is still waiting for an abscess to form in the seven-year-old gelding's near fore hoof but admits the chances of him running in the $3m Stradbroke (1400m) at Eagle Farm are fading fast.
'Today we're hoping the infection can burst out at the coronet band,' he said from the Philippines.
'It's so damn close. His Stradbroke hopes are looking slimmer by the day though.
'At best, he's probably 30-70 to get there.
'He won't run until he's perfect so today (Wednesday) is his last chance.'
Rothfire showed he was back to his devastating best when a narrow runner-up finish to three-time Group 1 champion Sunshine In Paris in the $1.5m Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) on May 17.
'It's quite bizarre really. For a horse that ran second, it really felt like a win, everyone was so happy,' Heathcote said at the time in what is likely to be Rothfire's Queensland winter carnival swan song.
Before that the 2020 JJ Atkins champion produced a barnstorming run to figure just outside the placings in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) early last month.
Rothfire is almost certain to be scratched from Saturday's $1m Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) and faces an uphill battle to make the Stradbroke in which he is a $26 chance.
The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained War Machine remains the warm $3.50 favourite for the Stradbroke at Eagle Farm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
ASX jumps in Monday trading after Trump announces more tariff deals
Australia's sharemarket snapped a brief two day losing streak on Monday after US President Donald Trump announced his latest trade deal and the major banks bounced back from their recent falls. The benchmark ASX 200 index closed up 30.8 points or 0.36 per cent at 8697.7 after hitting an intraday high of 8704.9, while the broader All Ordinaries finished in the green up 29.20 points or 0.33 per cent to 8,963.50. The Australian dollar slipped from a nine-month high on Friday buying 65.51 US cents at the time of writing. On an overall positive day, eight of the 11 sectors finished in the green, led by the telecommunications sector, the big four banks and healthcare stocks. Shares in Telstra gained 0.81 per cent to $4.95, REA Group jumped 1.34 per cent to $236.09 and CAR group added 1.72 per cent to $37.89. Market heavyweight CBA gained 1.17 per cent to $174.90 offsetting half the falls in recent days, while NAB gained 0.67 per cent to $37.76, Westpac added 0.54 per cent to $33.21 and ANZ group closed 0.30 per cent higher at $30.31. Healthcare darling CSL gained 1 per cent to $270.59, Sigma Healthcare added 1.41 per cent to $2.88 and ResMed finished 0.97 per cent higher to $41.70. The markets jumped after US President Donald Trump announced a deal with the EU to end four months of negotiations between the two economic powerhouses. Following the discussions, the EU will face a 15 per cent tariff from the US, which is down from the 25 per cent the President announced in April. European Commission chief Ursula von de Leyen described it as 'a big deal, a huge deal, bringing: stability and predictability' to the two trading partners. IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said global markets around the world jumped on these trade deals. 'In terms of the trade deals with Japan and Europe, the tariff rate that will be implemented came in lower than initially threatened and the market is looking very positively on it,' Mr Sycamore said. Uranium shares were one of the rare misses during Monday's trading, dragged down by news out of Boss Energy which flagged challenges out of its Honeymoon uranium project. Boss Energy shares plummeted 43.97 per cent to $1.90, Deep Yellow fell 8.34 per cent to $1.65 and Paladin Energy dropped 4.43 per cent to $6.91. 'That is the uranium sector in a nutshell,' he said. 'It is one where you have to be prepared for extraordinary volatility. 'This was a disappointing performance day and a disappointing report by Boss Energy.' In company news, Helloworld Travel shares soared 14.14 per cent to $1.69 after the business upgraded its guidance to somewhere between $58-$62m. Stealth Group's shares also soared 11.02 per cent to $0.70 after announcing a 50 per cent jump in pre-orders on the back of the soon to be released iPhone 17. Bubs Australia shares jumped 2.94 per cent to $0.18 after the infant formula maker announced Joe Cootes as its new chief executive, effective immediately.
News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Resources Top 5: Newly listed Tali Resources on West Arunta copper trail
TR2 closing in on initial drilling at the West Arunta project in WA SGQ is upscaling drilling at the Araxa rare earths and niobium project in Brazil A significant quarter saw ZNC achieve key milestones Your standout small cap resources stocks for Monday, July 28, 2025 Tali Resources (ASX:TR2) One of Australia's most exciting emerging mineral regions is the West Arunta adjoining the Northern Territory border in remote WA, where an active player is newly listed Tali Resources. The company holds a large, dominant tenure position highly prospective for copper. Exploration is being undertaken using a multi-faceted and systematic approach to explore for several different styles of mineralisation and these activities are led by an experienced leadership team with a strong track record of discovery success. There are indications of a range of intrusive-related deposit styles as well as potential IOCG and sediment-hosted copper mineralisation. While exploration is at an early stage, the company is moving toward initial drilling and shares moved 27.46% higher to a top of 65c before closing at 58c. Assisting in targeting work, Tali, which listed on July 21, is encouraged by geological modelling of available gravity, magnetic and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) datasets which confirms that the Chilka, Lonar, Maton B and Maton C prospects are priorities for drill testing. This work by geophysical consultants, Resource Potentials, has also led to the identification of Gibson East prospect for the initial drilling program. Heritage clearances and drilling approvals are in place for the reverse circulation drilling of the strong anomalies which is scheduled to start in August. 'Further geophysical modelling has highlighted Chilka, Lonar, Maton B, Maton C and Gibson East as hosting significant anomalies that justify immediate drill testing,' Tali's managing director Rhys Bradley said. 'This work has assisted with drill hole planning aimed at testing a combination of geophysical highs and lows within the prospect areas. 'We have also added a new prospect, Gibson East, to the program for drill testing. 'Chilka, Lonar and Gibson East all host large-scale, coincident to semi-coincident magnetic and gravity anomalies which are prospective for a range of intrusive-related deposit styles. 'These prospects are all located in close proximity to Pokali, a mineralised copper system with an IOCG affinity. 'The Maton prospect area contains three large-scale, late-time airborne electromagnetic anomalies. It is an area of no outcrop but is interpreted to be set within the Amadeus Basin and is considered prospective for sediment-hosted copper mineralisation. 'Site preparation activities are underway ahead of drilling which is planned to commence in August.' St George Mining (ASX:SGQ) As it looks to take advantage of the West's increasing desire to seek non-Chinese sources of critical minerals and armed with $5 million from a placement, St George Mining is upscaling drilling at the Araxa rare earths and niobium project in Brazil. This will see the company deploy three diamond rigs in a 9000m campaign with the aim of growing the globally significant rare earths and niobium resources. The Araxa rare earths resource sits at 40.6Mt grading 4.13% total rare earth oxides while the niobium resource totals 41.2Mt at 0.68% niobium. SGQ was pleased with the response to the placement to strategic investors which will see more than 131m shares issued at 3.8c per share, a 13% premium to the 30-day VWAP. It follows strong spontaneous interest from European-based investors drawn to the growing potential of the company and its Brazilian property. Shares increased 10.3% to a daily high of 4.3c with more than 81m changing hands. Araxá is a major hard rock rare earths resource, capable of offering an alternative supply chain to China's market dominance. The strong focus of St George on Araxa coincides with a surge in US demand for new rare earth supplies outside China, highlighted by major investments from the Department of Defense and Apple in US producer MP Materials. The US is also reported to be considering a trade agreement with Brazil focused on access to critical and strategic minerals St George is assessing opportunities to establish downstream partnerships in the US for rare earths processing and magnet production. Zenith Minerals (ASX:ZNC) A significant quarter which saw Zenith Minerals achieve key milestones across its gold projects resulted in shares improving 20% to 3.6c. 'The company remains firmly committed to its gold strategy, demonstrated through strategic initiatives including a A$3.5m entitlement offer, divestment of the non-core Kavaklitepe project and the strategic acquisition and drilling at Dulcie Far North and Red Mountain,' managing director Andrew Smith said. 'A highlight was the acquisition of exclusive subsurface rights extending approximately 3km south of the Dulcie Far North project. This acquisition considerably expands the scale and resource growth potential of Zenith's consolidated Dulcie Gold Project. 'The company also completed a 37-hole RC drilling campaign at Dulcie Far North, resulting in an updated inferred resource of 8.2 Mt at 1.15 g/t Au for 302,000oz, representing a 41% increase and further underpinning Zenith's growing gold portfolio. 'At Red Mountain, the company advanced key exploration targets, with a planned ~3,000m diamond drilling campaign supported by a maximum grant of $275,000 from the Queensland Government's Collaborative Exploration Initiative, targeting significant gold with associated copper-molybdenum.' Cyclone Metals (ASX:CLE) Cyclone Metals is making strong progress as it moves to develop its flagship Iron Bear project, a world-class large-scale iron ore asset in Canada's Labrador Trough, and shares hit a three-year high of 8.1c, a lift of 14.1% During the June quarter the company received a power study completed by global engineering consultancy firm Hatch which identified and quantified technical solutions for the supply of 100% renewable energy for the Iron Bear mining and concentrator complex and the adjacent city of Schefferville, including hydropower and wind power. Further metallurgical testwork was completed with positive outcomes and the first stage of terrestrial and hydrology field surveys was successfully completed. Key upcoming milestones are the release of a scoping study and a de-risking rail study. 'We are confident that the Iron Bear Project will deliver substantial benefits for all the key stakeholders, including our shareholders and local communities, as we work closely with our partner Vale, to develop a sustainable mining operation powered by cutting edge technologies and renewable energy,' CEO and executive director Paul Berend said. Macarthur Minerals (ASX:MIO) Iron ore focused Macarthur Minerals has extended the closing date for its pro-rata non-renounceable entitlement offer to raise up to A$2m until Thursday, July 31, 2025, and shares reached 1.9c, an increase of 26.67% on the previous close, before ending the day at 1.6c. Eligible shareholders will be entitled to subscribe for one new share for every two existing shares held at an issue price 2c per share. For every two new shares subscribed, shareholders will receive one free attaching option, exercisable at 3c and expiring two years from the date of issue. The offer is underwritten by Gold Valley Yilgarn to A$2m. The underwriter has agreed to subscribe for up to 100m new shares and attaching options and is solely responsible for subscribing for any shortfall shares and options that may arise under the offer. Proceeds will be used to support the company's corporate operations and the ongoing evaluation of strategic options for its Lake Giles iron project.
News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Insane': Run-down home sells for $3 million
The more than $3 million sale of an overgrown two-bedroom house in Brisbane has raised questions about the state of the city's housing market. The home in Perrott Street, on a 473 sqm corner block in the ritzy inner-city suburb of Paddington, went under the hammer over the weekend. After an opening offer of $2.75 million, a flurry of bids quickly brought the sale price to $3.1 million – well above the suburb's median price of $1.9 million. The property listing said it had been in the same family for 100 years and was used as a hospital during the Second World War. But it had not been occupied since the 1990s and would require 'significant works to bring it up to a comfortable living standard'. Photos showed the house was in a state of disrepair with the roof overrun with weeds, though it stood on a spacious block and commanded views of the city. Reaction to the sale on social media was mixed, with some Aussies labelling the $3.1 million sale price as 'insane' and 'ridiculous', and the home itself as a 'dump'. 'Problem is someone will knock it down for the land and build some garbage thing,' one said. 'It gets you a block of land worth $3.5 million three weeks from now after you bulldoze the shack,' another added. But Ray White agent Max Hadgelias told that the new owners were a local family who intended to be owner-occupiers. There had been 'fantastic interest' in the home, with 15 registered bidders at the auction along with scores of locals who attended out of curiosity, Mr Hadgelias said. Given the home was a protected character house it was 'unlikely' to be bulldozed to make way for a development. 'It requires a lot of work, but someone restoring it will bring it back to its former glory.' Although the property was in a run-down state, the price was 'underpinned by its location,' which included its sought-after Paddington postcode, elevated position and city views. Mr Hadgelias described the local housing market as 'strong – there's good activity across all spectrums at the moment'. Leith van Onselen, chief economist at said the sale was indicative of overstretched demand for housing in Brisbane. The city had seen an 89 per cent increase in house prices since March 2020. 'Brisbane's had one of the biggest house price rises in the country since the pandemic,' Mr van Onselen said. 'It's gone from being one of the more affordable housing markets to being the second-most expensive (after Sydney).' The cause was a 'gigantic surge' in both interstate and overseas migration to Brisbane. 'It's a real pressure cooker situation in Brisbane unfortunately, and I think the (2032) Olympics will make it worse. 'Obviously the inward migration from overseas and Australia has overwhelmed supply.' PropTrack data for June showed Sydney remained Australia's most expensive city with a median house price of $1.18 million, followed by Brisbane at $908,000, Adelaide at $837,000, Perth at $836,000 and Melbourne at $818,000.
