Ellsberg set to sparkle in Five Diamonds
TRAINERS Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou can continue their successful Sydney spring carnival with stable star Ellsberg in the $2m Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Ellsberg is racing for a hattrick of wins after his deadheat (with Top Ranked) in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap and his last start romp in the Five Diamonds Prelude.
TAB Fixed Odds prices assessors have Ellsberg at $2.80 favourite to continue his winning momentum and put an exclamation mark on Ryan and Alexiou’s memorable carnival.
“Ellsberg has trained on really well,’’ Ryan said. “He hasn’t missed a beat, he’s bright and well. “His work on Saturday morning was as good as I’ve seen that horse work in his life.’’
Ellsberg has topweight of 59kg for the Five Diamonds, a new race restricted to fiveyear-olds, but Ryan believes the chestnut will cope with the big burden.
“There is not a huge spread in the weights with most of his rivals on 57kg or 56kg,’’ Ryan said. “He deserves the weight because he’s racing so well and the form around him has been terrific.
“Rustic Steel and Sibaaq finished behind him last start and they ran first and third (Big Dance) on Tuesday.
“Icebath finished behind him in the Epsom and she has gone on to win a Group 1 (Empire Rose Stakes). He also beat Fangirl and Hinged in the Epsom and they ran second and fifth in the Golden Eagle.
“Ellsberg also finished alongside Old Flame in the Shannon Stakes and that horse has won a Group 2 (Linlithgow Stakes) in Melbourne so his form reads well for the Five Diamonds.’’
Ryan admitted the only query is the 1800m but said Ellsberg had never been better prepared to run the trip.
The Ryan and Alexiou stable also has Just A Jedi ($11) as an each way contender in the Quayclean Handicap (1800m) at the Rosehill meeting, the final day of The Everest carnival.
It’s been a memorable carnival for the Rosehill trainers who also won stakes races with Sky Command, Williamsburg and A Lot More Love.