Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote knows he’ll be up against some ‘serious horses’ in Sunday’s $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton

Rob Heathcote is looking to the heavens for barrier assistance for his talented gelding Cosmo Centaurus ahead of the $1 million The Archer at Rockhampton.

Cosmo Centaurus dashes away to win the $100,000 Inglis bonus for Rob Heathcote and jockey Bailey Wheeler at the Sunshine Coast on January 25. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography.=

Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote knows he’ll be up against some “serious horses” in Sunday’s $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton but that won’t stop him from daring to dream.

The Heathcote-trained gelding Cosmo Centaurus will run in the slot for Karla and Peter McPhail in the 1300m race, which costs $70,000 per entry and offers $565,000 to the winner.

Ironically it was Heathcote’s horse Emerald Kingdom which edged out Apache Chase in the inaugural edition of The Archer in 2022 and guess who held the slot for the runner-up?

Yep, it was Karla and Peter McPhail.

Both those geldings ended up running in the Stradbroke Handicap that year but failed to make an impression in the 1400m major won by Alligator Blood, who retired last month as a seven-time Group 1 champion.

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“I got a bit of a surprise when I did get the phone for Cosmo Centaurus but I’m not surprised when you analyse his runs, which have been a lot better than they look on paper,” Heathcote said.

“He’s the only three-year-old in the race but I’m a realist. He’s coming up against Iowna Merc, Sandpaper and Transatlantic, these are serious race horses.”

Cosmo Centaurus won his first two races but then finished ninth in his next two outings before a creditable fourth at his most recent start, the $160,000 Listed Daybreak Lover (1400m) won by Tony Gollan’s rising star Boomtown Boss at Eagle Farm on April 19.

Boom! 💥

Boomtown Boss wins the Listed Daybreak Lover at Eagle Farm, giving @tonygollan his third winner for the day!@emilyyplang | @BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/bcIMhsy04D

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025

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“He hasn’t had a lot of luck in his last couple of races and I’m having a horror run with barriers lately,” Heathcote said.

“I mean it makes all the difference. It’s just getting to the stage where I’m exasperated with the continual run of bad barriers.”

Transatlantic ($3.60), Iowna Merc ($4.20) and Sandpaper ($6.50) lead Ladbrokes’ market for The Archer, with Cosmo Centaurus currently paying $26.

Heathcote will be hoping for better luck for the barrier draw on Wednesday night and in a “big plus”, six-time Group 1 winner Chad Schofield will fly up from Sydney to ride the three-year-old gelding.

“I think the 1300m on that big track can suit him but the reality is that I have to temper my enthusiasm because he hasn’t proven himself against this type of quality,” Heathcote said.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to be tough but he’s a horse who I feel has a very bright future.”

Originally published as Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote knows he’ll be up against some ‘serious horses’ in Sunday’s $1m The Archer slot race in Rockhampton