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Ellsberg will be out to maintain his reputation as a first-up specialist when he resumes at Rosehill.

Stradbroke Handicap plans for Ellsberg didn't come to fruition but it is full steam ahead towards his next mission, the inaugural Five Diamonds. 

The five-year-old jarred up on the firm Eagle Farm track following his unplaced run in the Kingsford-Smith Cup in May, forcing connections to pull the pin on their Stradbroke ambitions. 

He still carries some residual fitness from that campaign ahead of Saturday's Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill where he will be out to maintain his unblemished first-up record. 

Despite being a bull, Ellsberg is one of the most consistent horses Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou have trained and while rival and race favourite Mr Mozart might have overpowered him in a recent barrier trial, Ryan points out there will be an important gear change come race day when the blinkers go back on. 

"We trial him without blinkers or anything on him and he is going to bounce and put himself in the first three," Ryan said. 

"It does look like there are three on-pacers – Prime Candidate, Mr Mozart and us. 

"He will run honestly again. He's had 19 starts, 15 times in the first three, there's a fourth in there, a seventh in the Golden Eagle and then his last start. He's a good, honest horse and he's four from four first-up. 

"He seems to be going as good as he's always gone." 

The Theo Marks Stakes will be the first step in a program designed around extending Ellsberg to 1800m for the first time in the Five Diamonds, run at his home track of Rosehill on November 5. 

While the horse hasn't won beyond 1500m, he is a three-times stakes placegetter over a mile and Ryan believes he has the capacity to run the extra journey. 

"He will go here Saturday, then a fortnight to the Shannon (Stakes), three weeks to the Five Diamonds Prelude then into the Five Diamonds," he said. 

"He hasn't gone to 1800 metres yet but we've always believed he would run it and it is a restricted race in the sense it's for five-year-olds." 

Ellsberg has firmed from $4.60 into a $3.80 second pick for the Theo Marks Stakes in early TAB fixed odds markets, which have Mr Mozart heading betting at $3.40. 

Mr Mozart is racing for the first time since claiming the Hawkesbury Guineas in April and his only first-up win in three attempts came at his debut.