Trainer Mick Price has not abandoned the ambition for his colt Guest House to contest The Everest, despite the horse’s recent performance in the Golden Rose.
The Golden Slipper winner finished unplaced for the first time in his career when he came home sixth, more than five lengths behind the winner Warwoven, in a rough running of the Group 1 for three-year-olds last Saturday.
Price and his training partner Michael Kent Jnr were disappointed that Guest House could not justify his status as a short-priced favourite. However, Price indicated that the colt’s recovery from the race means there’s no reason to deviate from their original plan.
“My opinion was to keep The Everest alive, as you would,” Price said when asked about his post-race message to Guest House’s owners, which include Coolmore Stud.
“I’ll probably send him to Mount White, the Coolmore facility there, where he goes in the cold water and has a freshen up and then you’ve got three weeks back into The Everest.
“I think it’ll work good. If they don’t want to do it fair enough, but that’s what I’d been doing.”
The $20 million Group 1 The Everest (1200m), which will again be headlined by Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising, will be run at Randwick on October 17.
Guest House was involved in a bumping duel with St Gotthard in the middle stages of the Golden Rose and Price was relieved to see him emerge from his first try at 1400m in better shape than he did from his first-up win in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m).
“He trotted out good and he pulled up better this morning than he did after the San Domenico,” Price said from Caulfield on Sunday.
“He had no joy in running, there was some fairly aggressive riding going on there, and he didn’t appreciate it when they sat up midfield and he got on heels.
“Then he went to come out on him and got hip-and-shouldered back in and overraced.
“The winner was great, to be fair, but I think 1400 is inconclusive based on yesterday.”
Guest House is currently listed at $15 on the third line of The Everest betting, behind favourite Ka Ying Rising and last year’s runner-up, Tempted. Discover comprehensive racing betting markets available.
