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Spill The Beans colt looking to shine in Saturday’s Group 3

The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Ellsberg (Spill The Beans) will be looking to follow up his win in the South Pacific Classic (Listed, 1400m) and also emulate his sire Spill The Beans (Snitzel) when he take his chance in the Hawkesbury Guineas (Gr 3, 1400m) on Saturday. 

Spill The Beans landed the Group 3 in 2016, before going on to win the QTC Cup (Gr 2, 1300m) two starts later and Alexiou said they will most likely take the same route with his son. 

"We have pretty high hopes for him but whether those hopes are reached this preparation or next we will see after Saturday,'' he said.

"He's a progressive horse and we wouldn't worry if we had to take on the older horses.

"Obviously the Stradbroke and those races are on the cards but if he gets to a Stradbroke he'd be wanting to win his next couple pretty convincingly.”

Meanwhile, he line-up alongside the John O’Shea-trained Acrophobic (Dissident), who will have first-time blinkers applied in the Group 3. 

Last seen finishing fourth behind Ellsberg in the South Pacific Classic and O'Shea is hoping the addition of blinkers for Saturday's 1400 metre feature can help Acrophobic find the extra couple of lengths required to land his second career win. 

"He has been desperate for a set of blinkers and they will go on this week and we'll see a better horse," O'Shea said. 

"We're going to run in the Inglis Guineas and if we get to Queensland, we get to Queensland, but there's no great rush to get there.”