Glory for Australia’s multi-million-dollar colt Guest House in Saturday’s G1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill will intensify the three-year-old’s anticipated clash with the world’s highest-rated horse, Ka Ying Rising.

Sold earlier this year to stud interests for HK$167 million, Guest House is being touted as a genuine threat to Hong Kong’s superstar sprinter, who arrived in Sydney this week to defend his title in next month’s G1 The Everest (1200m) at Randwick.

Guest House has drawn perfectly in barrier five for Saturday’s feature when he takes on 12 other three-year-olds.

Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, the son of Australian stallion Home Affairs has raced five times for three wins, a second and a third and scored his first Group 1 victory in the Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill in March.

Spelled after his Slipper glory, Guest House won further acclaim when he smashed the long-standing Rosehill 1100m track record first-up in the G3 San Domenico Stakes at Rosehill on 29 August.

After going through his paces at Rosehill last Saturday, Price gave the horse a “10 out of 10” for the workout.

“He galloped over 1200 metres, built into his work, improving each furlong from the 600 metres and the horse is perfect,” Price said. “That is what we want to get into the horse’s head going into a 1400 metre race, build, build, build.”

After another gallop on Tuesday, Price said Guest House, who he rates as the best colt he has trained, will go into Saturday’s race with no complaints.

Guest House bypassed his planned second-up run in the G2 Run To The Rose (1200m) after taking longer than expected to recover from his record-breaking first-up run.

“He was four weeks between runs going into the Golden Slipper so I’m comfortable,” Price said.

Victory in the feature will give Price his 50th Group 1 victory, and 14 of those have been since forming a partnership with Kent who agrees that Guest House couldn’t be any better heading into Saturday’s assignment.

“I think if he runs to his best and gets a strong 1400m, which we’re very optimistic he will, he’s the one to beat,” Kent said.

Zac Lloyd, who has ridden Guest House in his past two victories, hopes to create more records as the colt aims to be the first Golden Slipper winner to also claim the Golden Rose Stakes since the race gained Group 1 status in 2009.

Kris Lees and his former apprentice Dylan Gibbons are hoping for their first success in the feature with Under Focus, having both previously placed in the race.

“Under Focus worked really well on the Beaumont track this morning,” Lees said. “I’m very happy with him.”

Under Focus finished third to the highly rated duo Warwoven and St Gotthard, who he will again encounter on Saturday, in the G2 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on 12 September.

Warwoven has drawn barrier one and his trainer Bjorn Baker said it was important to draw an inside gate at Rosehill.

“He is in really good order and galloped well last time and is going to be third-up going into the 1400 (metres) and I have no doubt he’ll be strong at the 1400,” Baker said.

Chris Waller dominates the race with five runners. St Gotthard, who will be ridden by James McDonald, is expected, along with Bjorn Baker’s Warwoven, to offer the biggest challenge to Guest House. But Waller believes there is little separating his runners.

St Gotthard suffered his first defeat when a close second to Warwoven in the Run To The Rose at his last start.

Waller’s other runners are Tron Bolt, Central Europe, Stormy Marco and Campione D’Italia. “I could make a case for all of them, to tell you the truth,” Waller said.

The G1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) is carded as S1-8 and will be run at 2.05pm (Hong Kong time) on Saturday, 26 September.

Photo: Martin King