Golden Rose Stakes Racing Tips - Guest House can complete a famous Group 1 double

The $1 million Group 1 has developed into one of the major three-year-old races of the Sydney spring and this year's edition brings together several different form lines. Guest House is the headline act, while Run To The Rose winner Warwoven, St Gotthard, Under Focus and the fast-finishing Tron Bolt are among the leading challengers. The final field contains 13 runners, with Chris Waller responsible for five of them.

The Run To The Rose is the obvious reference point. Warwoven was able to race much closer than he had previously and proved too good, while St Gotthard lost his unbeaten record but should take improvement from his first run as a three-year-old. Under Focus was another strong effort in third and gives the impression the rise to 1400m will suit, while Tron Bolt settled at the rear before producing some excellent work late.

Guest House skipped that traditional lead-up after producing a huge performance first-up in the San Domenico Stakes. The Golden Slipper winner carried 58.5kg and broke the Rosehill 1100m track record, with that effort taking enough out of him for Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr to give him four weeks between runs. The stable used a similar spacing when Jacquinot won the Golden Rose in 2022.

The obvious question is the jump from 1100m to 1400m, but Guest House has the class advantage and his San Domenico win has already been franked by Warwoven, who finished behind him there before winning the Run To The Rose. Barrier five is another positive and should give Zac Lloyd the opportunity to settle him within striking distance without doing too much work.

Warwoven has to be respected from barrier one, while St Gotthard should appreciate getting to 1400m second-up and has James McDonald aboard. Tron Bolt is a genuine Group 1 winner at the distance but may have to produce another big finish from barrier 11, while Under Focus looks an interesting runner at double-figure odds.

The Sydney Group 1 is one of the major highlights on a massive weekend of racing that concludes on Sunday with the running of the Manikato Stakes at Caulfield. 

Plagiarism looks the most likely leader from barrier three, with Warwoven drawn to take advantage of barrier one and settle right behind the speed. Castillo King can also push forward from barrier 10 after leading the Run To The Rose.

Guest House gets an ideal setup from barrier five and should be able to settle around midfield or slightly closer, while St Gotthard is likely to find a position around midfield from barrier nine.

Under Focus maps nicely from barrier four and shouldn't have to spend anything early, which is a major positive for his chances.

The horses facing the more difficult task are Tron Bolt, Central Europe and Stormy Marco. All three are likely to settle in the second half of the field and the latter pair have drawn 13 and 12 respectively.

There looks to be enough pressure to keep the race honest without necessarily producing a brutal tempo, which could give Guest House the opportunity to settle close enough before using his turn of foot.

Guest House looks the one to beat. The Golden Slipper winner returned with an outstanding performance in the San Domenico Stakes, breaking the Rosehill 1100m track record despite carrying 58.5kg.

He also produced the best last-start benchmark figure in this field, going around 12 lengths faster than standard, and now drops to 56.5kg under the set-weight conditions.

The jump straight from 1100m to 1400m is the obvious query, but he should get every chance from barrier five and has already demonstrated that he possesses a significant class edge over many of these.

Under Focus looks the value runner at around $11.

The Kris Lees-trained colt has caught the eye in both runs this preparation, resuming with a strong finish in the Rosebud before running third behind Warwoven and St Gotthard in the Run To The Rose.

He maps to get an economical run around midfield from barrier four and the step up to 1400m looks ideal. He also produced a significant spike in his benchmark figures third-up during his first preparation, which adds to the appeal.

At double-figure odds, he looks capable of getting into the finish.