Tenth time lucky? Maiden Ropey Guest has another crack at Group company

Ropey Guest gets one final chance to shine on Saturday in a season which has so far yielded big efforts at Royal Ascot and the York Ebor festival, but also one in which he has yet to get his head in front.

Rated 99 after placed efforts in races such as the Acomb Stakes, Tattersalls Stakes and Autumn Stakes, Ropey Guest is again pitched into Group 3 company at Newmarket when he tackles the rearranged Horris Hill Stakes.

George Margarson, who trains Ropey Guest for John Guest Racing, believes the two-year-old remains in prime form to outrun his Horris Hill Stakes odds, despite being the only one of the 13 declarations not to have already won.

The son of Cable Bay was also beaten less than three lengths when a 200-1 sixth to Arizona in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on top of his subsequent efforts, and Margarson said: “I still think he should have won the Coventry – he was last a furlong out. It’s a good race on Saturday, a Group 3 bordering on a Group 2 really, but I’m hopeful this is his chance to break his maiden.”

This will be Ropey Guest’s tenth start of a busy first campaign, but Margarson reports him in top shape and is already eyeing big targets in 2020 for a horse affectionately known as ‘Chubby’ at the trainer’s Newmarket yard.

“He takes his racing really well,” he said. “He’s had minimal travelling lately as his last two runs have both been at Newmarket. I expect him to run his usual good race and will be very surprised if he isn’t bang there at the furlong pole.

“I’m glad it’s a big field. He’s disappointed in small fields before, and it appears that bigger fields bring out the best in him.”

He added: "If he doesn't win we'll bring him back next spring for a maiden before a crack at the 2,000 Guineas."

The Horris Hill, rescheduled after last Saturday’s meeting at Newbury was cancelled due to waterlogging, lacks its original big star Kinross, who tackles Friday’s Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Newcastle, but has still attracted a good-quality field.

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