A two-year-old race at Cranbourne will be take two for the highly regarded Guest House.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained colt was down to run in the Magic Millions VIC 2YO Classic (1100m) at Caulfield Heath last Saturday but was withdrawn due to drawing out wide.
The trainers doubted, and with good reason, whether they could defeat the impressive winner Unit Five who jumped from barrier one.
Luckily, the Clamms Seafood Handicap (1000m) is on Saturday’s card at Cranbourne and equally as lucky is Guest House has drawn barrier four for Jamie Melham.
“The barrier was very awkward last week, especially for a two-year-old debutant,” Kent Jnr said.
“The favourite had drawn beautifully in barrier one and if we had pushed on, we could have been four and five wide scouting around them, and then if you go back, can he pick them up?
“There’s a suitable option for him on Saturday and the other thing we spoke about was the race last week contributes zero to getting a start in the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) or the Golden Slipper (1200m).”
Last week’s race garnered a ‘win and you’re in’ for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 17, while, despite its $250,000 in prize money, it was money that could not be counted towards the ballot for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield in February or the Group 1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill the following month.
And while the $270,000 Gold Coast yearling purchase would have been eligible to head north, the Price and Kent Jnr stable was not that keen on travelling.
“I don’t think you can do both, the Magic Millions and the Blue Diamond,” Kent Jnr said.
“It’s a long way to go. We don’t like flying our horses to Queensland as it’s proven to be too unreliable in the past.
“You can get stuck on the tarmac, and to go by road, it’s a long way for an immature horse.
“On balance, with everything considered and the barrier being the main issue, we thought it made sense to wait a week and go across the road to Cranbourne.
“Yes, a tight 1000 metres there is not ideal, but hopefully he can get the job done and if he did, the winner’s first prize goes towards getting a start in the Blue Diamond and the Slipper.
“He’s a lovely horse that looks to have Group class potential, so we’ll see.”
