Sydney prince has crowning moment with Guest House in Golden Slipper

On the day James McDonald was crowned king of Australia’s jockeys, the prince, Zac Lloyd, had his biggest moment when guiding Victorian colt Guest House to victory in the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m).

McDonald was the focus on Saturday as he stalked Damien Oliver’s Australian record for group 1 wins, which he duly swept past at age 34 with the first three majors of the day to go two ahead on 131.

The stage was set for Lloyd, the 22-year-old two-time champion Sydney apprentice who sits second to McDonald on the metropolitan apprentice and shapes as the heir apparent here to the world’s best jockey.

Lloyd had ridden two of the other Slipper runners, Spicy Miss and Hidrix, to victories in the lead-up, but he ended up with Mick Price and Michael Kent jnr-trained Guest House, an unlucky placegetter twice in the Victorian Blue Diamond series.

He settled the colt worse than midfield from gate eight, then followed McDonald’s Fireball down the inside as the field spread at the top of the straight.

The Home Affair colt found clear air inside the 200m and surged to a one-and-a-half-length win over Blue Diamond winner Streisand, with country hope Music Time, a Gratz Vella-trained long-shot, in third.

It gave Lloyd, the son of former jockey Jeff, a fourth group 1 win and the biggest moment of his career so far.

“It was high pressure, but my colt, he was fantastic,” Lloyd said. “He broke on terms. He’s been a bit tricky in his mannerisms, but today he was very tractable. I got on the back of the best jockey in the world and I thought, ‘Here we go, we’ll go from here’.

“And I just quickened that well. I was just waiting for a run, but geez, he let down so well. So I’m very happy. I’m so pleased for the big ownership and Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr and Ben Elam, who works here in Sydney.

“It makes me quite speechless. Obviously, you see all those great people that have won it before me, and you see what it does for colts, as well as fillies. How it can project them and make them worth so much money. For those people and the owners to give me the faith, I’m just happy I can get the job done.”

“My dad and my mum – my two biggest supporters. My dad’s probably bawling his eyes out. He’s quite an emotional man, but I wouldn’t be half the rider I am without him, and I wouldn’t be a quarter of the person I am without my mum and my dad, so, yeah, very happy. And to my brother, Jayden, and he’s going to be the happiest person on planet Earth for me.”

It was also a first Slipper for Kent jnr and Price, and came after they applied a cross-over noseband to help the colt race better. Lloyd had two pieces of work on Guest House in the lead-up.

“He’s so confident, the way he comes out, he just gives you an air of confidence,” Kent jnr said.

“The pace was on, that was the key, he got to relax for a change. The noseband worked wonders.

“What a horse, he had three runs where nothing went right but with the good speed on, he probably relaxed.

“It’s so right for Mick, and I’m so lucky I work with Mick, he’s had so many close calls in this great race, he’s a great two-year-old trainer.

“I just found the horse at Magic Millions, developed him, I’m very excited but I’m just so rapt for Mick Price. He’s given me a big show in this game and I’m very lucky.”

It was part of a treble for Lloyd, who also won on Barrengarry and Mr Monaco.