Gordon 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 Showgrounds as an 18 year old in the inaugural season of night trotting.
 
 Rothacker won numerous feature races with great pacers such as Angelique, Rhett, Gallagher and Raiarmagh Pool, while also representing Australia in the second World Drivers’ Championship in 1971 in the US and Canada.

 

 Awarded an MBE in1972 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 Harness Racing Victoria.

 

 Harness Racing Victoria’s highest individual award, the Gordon Rothacker Medal, is named in his honour.