by Duane Ranger (courtesy of Redcliffe Paceway)
Redcliffe Paceway patrons could be forgiven for thinking they were seeing double in the winner’s circle shortly before 6.30pm last Wednesday (April 12).
And no, it wasn’t their foggy glasses or brown fizzy drinks playing tricks on them. It was the arrival of the 20-year-old Rothwell twins – Nathan and Will.
You won’t have to remember their names. They will roll off the tongue soon enough because the identical New South Wales-born brothers have settled in Queensland with their parents and are now embarking on long-term harness racing careers in the Sunshine State.
However, you might have to get one of them to wear a hat – even friends and family have difficulty telling them apart.
Older brother Nathan (by one minute), has now trained and driven his first Redcliffe winner – three days after breaking his Queensland duck at Marburg.
“The mare (Playa Blanca) is in my name, only because I managed to get my trials license out of the way a bit earlier than what Will could.
“The Warragul Trials was starting to wind down before we left, but the plan all along was to go into joint partnership and live and drive in Queensland with my brother.
“We have been here about five months now and Mum (Michele) and Dad (Mark) have also given up their lives back in Victoria to help us make a go of it. They bought a farm in Mount Hallen (100km west of Brisbane).
“We have no other siblings, and this is something Will and I have wanted to do for many years now. We are so grateful to our parents for supporting us. It’s a family stable,” Rothwell said.
Last Sunday Rothwell broke his ’Queensland duck’ when training and drove Highview Tommy gelding, Tommy Bligh, to win race four at Marburg.
Then on Wednesday night (April 12) at ‘The Triangle’, Rothwell led all the way with his Somebeachsomewhere mare, Playa Blanca, to nail race three by a neck – with a 2:01 mile rate.
The twins also own both 5-year-olds.
“It was a great thrill winning both races. I really like the unique Redcliffe track, and hopefully there will be many more to come there for me and my brother.
“I know this win and this mare will be remembered for a longtime – forever even. She also provided me with my first training and driving wins on Warragul Cup Day last year (April 17),” Rothwell said.
Rothwell has now recorded 10 training successes and eight driving wins since getting his licenses in 2021. Two of those wins have come this year (this week) and his other triumphs have come at Cranbourne, Warragul, and Melton.
“My brother and I are working three horses at the moment. This girl, and Tommy Bligh and A Perfect Dance, who both have five wins to their names.
“We are looking to increase our team this year and will be breeding from A Perfect Dance and Playa Blanca when they finish their racing careers in a couple of seasons.
“We are here for the long-haul and gradually want to better our stable as years go on,” Rothwell said.
Rothwell was born in Penrith (NSW) and for the first five years of his life was raised in the New South Wales mountains.
“I only have a vague recollection of living in the wild because we moved to Doonan on the Sunshine Coast when started school and we stayed here until I was 17.
“That’s when Mum and Dad again sacrificed their lives so Will and I could start our racing careers back home. Dad is a plasterer by trade and Mum works in insurance, so thankfully their jobs are flexible,” Rothwell said.
“Dad is also a greyhound trainer, so racing has been in our blood basically since day one. We were going to be jockeys but the thought of wasting and sweating weight away put us off,” he added.
He wanted to excuse the pun, but insisted he and his brother had a strong “will” to win.
“That’s what drives us. We are both competitive people and love winning. Sadly, we have had to sacrifice other sports and careers to do this properly.
“But Will and I are 101 per cent committed. We love this sport and want to make a real go of it here in Queensland. We are here to stay,” he insisted.
He also paid a tribute to his parents, as well as Jenny Lewis and Chris Hunter.
“Jenny did a great job running the Warragul Training Centre back home, and Chris taught us a lot about the intricacies of the sport. You never stop learning and listening in this game and that’s how we intend to keep getting better,” Rothwell said.
The 20-year-old’s next starters to the races will be Tommy Bligh (1) and Playa Blanca (2) in races five and nine at Albion Park on Tuesday (April 18).
The Nathan Rothwell trained and driven Playa Blanca (2) has them covered in race three at Redcliffe Paceway last Wednesday (April 14). The 5yo Somebeachsomewhere mare was the $3.30 second favourite.
