Historical information

Gordon Rothacker died in 2010 at the age of 81.

Harness Racing Victoria's (HRV) highest individual award, the Gordon Rothacker Medal, is named in his honour.

Rothacker won a record 14 Melbourne drivers' premierships between 1949 and 1973 as well as capturing 10 Melbourne trainers' premierships between 1953 and 1976.

He was the first reinsman to land 500 winners on Melbourne tracks, doing so at Moonee Valley in 1987 some 39 years after driving his first winner at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds as an 18-year-old in the inaugural season of night trotting.

Awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours of 1972 for his services to trotting, Rothacker was the Caduceus Club's first living legend when inducted in 1995 and has also been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by HRV.

He won numerous feature races with the likes of Angelique, Rhett, Gallagher and Raiarmagh Pool and also represented Australia in the second World Drivers' Championship in 1971 in the US and Canada.

Physical description

Red with blue V