Watch This Face - Costa Rolfe
The Age
Friday October 31, 2008
Costa Rolfe picked his first winner in primary school. Now he's written a book on our most famous horse race.
Costa Rolfe's fascination with horse racing began in 1990, when at the age of six, he picked seven from nine winners at the Bairnsdale races on Melbourne Cup Day. Word quickly spread of his punting prowess, with fellow gamblers asking the pint-sized prodigy for his tips. Eighteen years later, Rolfe's passion for the track is stronger than ever. His first book, Winners of the Melbourne Cup, traces the history of the famous horse race - some 146 thoroughbreds from 1861 to 2007. The idea for the book came from publisher Red Dog Books, where his sister Emily started work as an editor last December. When she heard about the project, Emily volunteered the services of her horse-mad brother, and in March the University of Melbourne student found himself with a full-time job. Rolfe, 24, deferred his arts/law degree, spending Monday to Thursday writing at his family's beach house in Lorne. "I'm nocturnal, so I'd work on the book every night from 7pm to 5am," he explains. Right now, of course, it's his favourite time of year in Melbourne, with spring carnival about to reach fever pitch. Despite placing at least $200 in bets every Saturday, he prefers to avoid the crowds and goes to the track only two or three times a year. Derby Day is a highlight. "There are eight awesome races on Derby Day, as opposed to the one on Cup Day, and the horses on display are the best, across a range of disciplines," he says.Being asked to write the book was a godsend for Rolfe. After years of slogging away at his double degree, he dropped law last semester. He says the book was something he could throw himself into - "something that I felt passionate about, finally. Writing has always come pretty naturally to me, but I never really thought I could make a career out of it until now." Emily says editing her brother's work was an interesting experience. "Costa says he knew when I wasn't happy - I'd go quiet on the other end of the phone and hang up on him. I knew that yelling at him wouldn't get me anywhere. I knew working together would either make or break us. Thankfully, I think it worked out pretty well in the end." The publishers agreed, with the book getting a second print run before it even hit the stores this month.Rolfe's encyclopaedic knowledge of horses goes back to his days at Melbourne Grammar, where he used to congregate with fellow punters - "a sort of brotherhood" - in the quadrangle, poring over the form guide. Rolfe admits that the underage equine enthusiasts would head down to the TAB after school and give people money to place their bets for them. "We were pretty trusting back then," he says. Once, he was cheated out of half his winnings by a bookie who knew the cheeky minor didn't have a leg to stand on. These days, Rolfe's expertise is in demand during the spring carnival, when he is inundated with calls from friends after tips.Rolfe is quick to dismiss claims he's a one-trick pony. Prior to Winners, his non-academic writing was limited to disgruntled missives fired at the Carlton Football Club, but he's keen to extend his repertoire. He's considering writing a book on his Greek immigrant great-grandparents, describing them as "amazing people, whose story deserves to be told". Rolfe and a friend are also toying with the idea of writing a satire on the Melbourne gang wars - think, Underbelly: The Musical. "I definitely don't want to be pigeonholed as a sports writer," he says. "I think I've got more to offer than that."
© 2008 The Age
