Guest House banishes Slipper curse at Rosehill

Image: Guest House, Credit: Bradley Photos

Exciting colt Guest House (Home Affairs) emphatically showed he was suffering no Golden Slipper hangover as he validated Coolmore’s investment in him with a stunning victory in Saturday’s San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill.

In a breathtaking return at the scene of his autumn triumph, Guest House became the first winner of the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) to take out the three-year-olds’ San Domenico since Tierce (Victory Prince) in 1991.

Not only that, he set a new track record of 1:02.41 – shaving a tenth of a second off the old mark held by Westicaro (Westbridge) since February, 2007 – in a display co-trainer Mick Price called “amazing”.

The hulking bay indicated he had come back as perhaps an even more formidable unit than in his stellar two-year-old season, as he appeared to well and truly lay to rest any fears of the Slipper winners’ “curse”. The past five colts to claim Australia’s greatest stallion-maker have failed to win again, with the last to score a subsequent victory being 2012 hero Pierro (Lonhro).

Bookmakers certainly responded with a firm vote of confidence in the son of Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), who also ran third last campaign in Caulfield’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).

He shortened to $3 favouritism for his next stallion-maker, the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) on September 26, and to $4 favouritism for another one, the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington on October 31.

In between those two, Guest House was also wound in to become a $13 equal third favourite for The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) on October 17, behind Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) at $1.50 and Tempted (Street Boss) at $9.

Coolmore, who stumped up a reported $30 million to make Guest House one of their future stallions following his Slipper success, hold a slot for The Everest, and the colt looks likely bound for that race, where he’d carry a light three-year-old’s impost of just 53 kilos under the weight-for-age scale.

Certainly on Saturday’s evidence – with a topweight of 58.5 kilos under set weights and penalties – it would be madness not to take a shot at the $20 million prize-money on offer for the Randwick feature.

Well ridden by his Slipper partner Zac Lloyd, Guest House jumped strongly from an awkward gate seven of eight and, while he over-raced early, Lloyd was able to restrain him and slide to the fence as the field quickly split into two packs.

Guest House pushed up to sit behind odds-on favourite Blue Door (Stay Inside) who set a heady pace under Tommy Berry, and for a time in the straight the colt looked in danger of not gaining a rails run.

But once Blue Door drifted only slightly off the fence, Guest House again showed what a racehorse he is by powering through the gap and coming away to score imperiously by 1.3 lengths, defying the betting drift which led to him starting $7 third favourite.

Blue Door held second at $1.95, 0.9 lengths ahead of Slipper third placegetter Music Time (All Too Hard) at $12. The highly rated Warwoven (Sword Of State) made only a little ground from the rear to finish fifth on his resumption at $7.50.

“Amazing, wasn’t it?” said Price, who trains Guest House in partnership with Michael Kent Jr.

“As I said in an interview, the people make up their own mind, the horse will write his own story and it was just an amazing win.

“He’s a very good horse. You might even think he’s improved from his Slipper to come out here over 1100 metres and do what he did, and he had to race so genuinely; Blue Door was holding the fence.”

“He [Lloyd] was on the right horse and if you’ve got the right motor and the right horse, it’s a lot easier than if you’re not on the bridle.

“But geez, he’s a good colt.”

Price confirmed an Everest tilt, saying he wanted Guest House “in the zone for the three races that make his colt career” – the Golden Rose, The Everest and the Coolmore.

“They’re the three races where, once I can get him in that zone, just leave him alone a little bit,” the Cranbourne trainer said.

“I thought 1100 metres was a little bit short for him, first off, but that’s just how good he is.”

Price has no doubts Guest House could cope with the 1400 metres of the Golden Rose, and possibly a 1600-metre Guineas trip as well.

“You know what, if someone said to me, can you win the Caulfield Guineas with this, it could happen, but you can’t do everything,” Price said. “He’s just a gun colt, and I’m very happy that Coolmore have backed him. He’s just fantastic.”

Lloyd said Guest House had returned a better horse.

“His trials have been really good. I must say, I think everyone’s a little surprised how good that really was because we all thought he was [still] progressing,” the young jockey said.

“He’s a big, robust colt. He’s only going to get better with every run he has. And for him to do that at 1100 metres, it’s very exciting. But yeah, good to have him back.

“I knew at the 400, the way he was coping with that speed, he was just ready to go. And I needed a run, but I knew I had a very good horse underneath me, so I wasn’t rushing. Tommy [Berry] gave him enough room, and those horses, you give them a message, they’re straight in there.

“So, fantastic, and he’s actually done that quite comfortably. A perfect first-time run for him.”

Bred by Love Racing PL, Henderson Racing and Breeding and G1g Racing and Breeding, Guest House was bought from Newgate’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $270,000 by Price, Tim Rogers Bloodstock and the Roll The Dice Racing group, whose familiar colours he still bears, despite Coolmore’s buy-in.

He’s the sixth foal of Flamboyant Lass – a daughter of another Slipper winner in Stratum (Redoute’s Choice) – who was trained by Gai Waterhouse for two wins and two stakes placings, and has also borne a Melbourne two-year-old stakes placegetter in Nitrous (Deep Field).

Flamboyant Lass – bought by Coolmore at this year’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale for $800,000 in foal to the stud’s stallion Storm Boy (Justify) – now has a two-year-old filly by Slipper winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) who didn’t go to public auction, and she missed to the same stallion in 2025.

She’s now overdue to throw her Justify foal.

Coolmore’s Champion first-season sire Home Affairs has five stakes winners from 61 runners at 8.2 per cent, with his service fee leaping this year from $82,500 to $176,000 (inc GST.)