Guest House on track for Everest after dominant victory in San Domenico

Trainer Mick Price lauded the tenacity of Guest House and skill of jockey Zac Lloyd after they broke the track record and a 35-year hoodoo for Golden Slipper winners in the San Domenico Stakes with a rail-bending run at Rosehill.

Lloyd produced a masterclass on the Home Affairs colt, a $30 million aquisition for Coolmore, when he found the back of leader and favourite Blue Door after jumping well from gate seven of eight in the 1100m group 3 for three-year-olds.

Guest House raced fiercely at times, then was stuck behind Blue Door before Lloyd squeezed up the inside near the 200m mark, pushing in the rail, before powering to a length and a quarter win in 1:02:41. It bettered Westicaro’s 2007 track record of 1:02:51 and Home Affairs’ class standard of 1:02:64.

He became the first Slipper winner to take out the San Domenico since Tierce in 1991. Blue Door and Music Time filled the placings.

Price, who trains in partnership with Michael Kent jnr, believed Guest House could be vulnerable at 1100m first-up as he worked to have him peak in the group 1 Golden Rose (1400m), Everest (1200m) and Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).

He said it was an amazing win and it appeared Guest House had improved from his Slipper victory. Guest House now looks destined to fill Coolmore’s slot in the $20 million Everest on October 17. He was in from $17 to $13 for the Everest.

“Track record, overraced fresh a little bit and had to bustle his way through an opening that wasn’t there,” he said. “One thing about these great colts is tenacity and I’ve just got to love his tenacity. And there should be more to come. I’ve allowed for it.”

He was also full of praise of Lloyd, who had a treble on Saturday with victories on Aethelwulf and Althoff.

“Zac just owns these races, doesn’t he?” Price said of Lloyd’s bold ride. “I said, look, as long as the horse is running on, I’ll be happy. The race sets up for the favourite, no doubt about that.

“When he came out here, I actually didn’t give him any instructions. I know what I want and asked him what he thinks, and he said one of two things will happen. He bounces, I’m going with him, and if he takes 50-60 metres to get going, I’ll ride a race.

“If I hear the right thing, I don’t need to fear, and I heard the right thing.”

Trainer Adrian Bott was daring to dream of a Golden Rose shot with Plagiarism after he broke his maiden with a front-running win in the group 3 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m).

Back as a gelding after falling short of a Golden Slipper spot in the autumn, the son of Written By improved off a strong first-up effort over same trip when third to hold out Genesis Runner on Saturday by three-quarters of a length for jockey Regan Bayliss.

It was an overdue victory for Plagiarism, which was third on debut in the $1 million Golden Gift but then unplaced in his next three starts in two-year-old stakes races.