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.
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