Kent Jnr: Why Guest House will be "very hard to catch" in the Slipper

Guest House was ridiculously unlucky in the Group 1 Blue Diamond (1200m), jumping out slowish from the gates, then having his run blocked multiple times down the straight.

To make matters even worse, the Mark Walker-trained I Am Aria burst through the barriers prior to the race starting, causing a five-minute delay where the son of Home Affairs was left standing still in the barriers.

Michael Kent Jnr has reflected on this nightmare run in the $2 million sprint, stating that he initially became worried about his colt after I Am Aria’s pre-race antics.

“When we saw I Am Aria come out of the gates and from barrier 2, our colt stood there for five minutes,” Mick Price's co-trainer told SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.

“I just thought, ‘Oh, how's this going to go?’. It’s the last thing you want to see.

“He wasn't disastrously slow away (from the gates), but as soon as he got crossed by Lady Moscato, it was basically game over.

“He was in a pocket from which he found it hard to get out of, and in behind on a slow, moderate tempo, he got a bit keen.”

Guest House is confirmed to run in the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.

Kent Jnr believes that the bay will run extremely well in the Slipper, off the back of his unlucky Blue Diamond run.

“I think if he breaks well in the Slipper, I can picture him up on speed, rolling along, using his stride and his ability properly, and being very hard to catch,” Kent Jnr said.

“It's a good race to be up on speed there, the Slipper.

“As long as he has another good week (at Cranbourne), he'll head up to our Rosehill stable.

“The advantage there is he's already been through that system as a young horse, so he should settle straight back into regular Sydney life.

“We've got the option to give him a jumpout on the 10th of March at Rosehill.”

Zac Lloyd will ride the two-year-old in the Golden Slipper, choosing the Price & Kent Jr-trained colt over Chris Waller’s Hidrix.

Reflecting on the hoop’s decision, the co-trainer admitted it gives them plenty of confidence that Guest House can win the $5 million two-year-old sprint.

“It gives us a lot of confidence… Like he's a prolific winner,” Kent Jnr exclaimed.

“Our thinking was we were keen to engage a Sydney jockey that rides there a lot. In our opinion, he was the best available.”

Guest House is currently $18 with Sportsbet to win the Group 1 Golden Slipper on March 21.

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