Paul Messara will decide on Thursday morning whether promising colt Silver Spur takes his place in the Group Two Sandown Guineas.The three-year-old was a gallant second to It'llbefantastic in the Hilton International Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last Saturday but Messara wants to be sure he has completely recovered from the effort before committing to a Guineas start."It's touch and go at the moment," Messara said."He's come through the race okay but I want to make sure he is a hundred and ten p

Paul Messara will decide on Thursday morning whether promising colt Silver Spur takes his place in the Group Two Sandown Guineas.

The three-year-old was a gallant second to It'llbefantastic in the Hilton International Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last Saturday but Messara wants to be sure he has completely recovered from the effort before committing to a Guineas start.

"It's touch and go at the moment," Messara said.

"He's come through the race okay but I want to make sure he is a hundred and ten per cent if I run him.

"I'll make a decision after he does a bit of work tomorrow morning.

"He's not sore but he's a bit stiff, although he is improving all the time."

Silver Spur was having just his third start at Flemington after finishing runner-up over 1100m on debut at Canterbury and third to Love Conquers All in the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

While he is unproven on a seven-day back-up, Messara doesn't anticipate the colt having any problems racing on consecutive Saturdays.

"It was by design actually," Messara said.

"He gets over his gallops and his races well.

"He is a talented horse and he's improving. He still doesn't really know how to race."

Michael Rodd, who won last week's VRC Oaks aboard Faint Perfume, has been booked to ride Silver Spur in the 1600-metre feature at Sandown.

He replaces Hugh Bowman who has taken rides at the Rosehill meeting in Sydney.

It'llbefantastic is also among nominations for the Guineas but under the set weights conditions of the race he will meet Silver Spur 2.5kg worse having beaten the Messara-trained colt by just a nose.

Peter Snowden has entered three runners - impressive last-start winners Kidnapped and Khas Kura along with Euphemism - but interestingly elected not to go down that road with Governance who was an unlucky third in the Hilton International.

Governance has instead been nominated for a Benchmark 75 Hcp over 1200 metres at Rosehill.

Gai Waterhouse will be out to change her carnival luck in Melbourne with Turf Express who was second past the post in the Listed Myer Fashion Plate (1800m) at Flemington on Oaks day but promoted to first following a protest.

Waterhouse has endured a frustrating run of placings in Group races during the Melbourne spring including thirds by Viking Legend in both the Victoria Derby and AAMI Vase and Rock Kingdom in the Toorak Handicap.