Darley colts take up slack as Guelph kicks back Star performer: Guelph is taking time out at Agnes Banks in preparation for the Thousand Guineas next week. Photo: Georgie Beresford Darley have Australia's best filly - and maybe the country's top three-year-old, Guelph - but their colts will take centre stage in the Spring Champion Stakes and Caulfield Guineas on Saturday. Guelph is having a couple of days at Agnes Banks after her commanding Flight Stakes to get ready for next week's Thousand Guineas. "She went to the farm [on Sunday] morning and is getting some sun on her in paddock before heading to Melbourne,"" said Darley's head trainer, Peter Snowden. ""She was great on Saturday and hopefully the boys can give it going this weekend."" Darley have Long John, the favourite for the Guineas in Melbourne, but it may be overshadowed by the Spring Champion and the clash of Gloaming Stakes winner Complacent with Savvy Nature, Drago and Saturday's impressive Dulcify Stakes winner, Rock Hero. ""Complacent showed how strong of a stayer he is in the Gloaming and he hasn't gone backwards since,"" Snowden said. ""He is by Authorised and I think 2000m is going to be perfect for him but it isn't going to be easy. David Payne's [Rock Hero] looked very strong on Saturday and there is a bit of depth to the field. ""We have Shikra in the race as well. He just ran into a dead end [in the Gloaming] and couldn't get going again. Given the right run, he can certainly improve and there is not much between our two."" Retained jockey Kerrin McEvoy will be at Caulfield to ride Long John, so Snowden has booked Christian Reith and Josh Parr for the Spring Champion Stakes. ""We will make a decision on who rides what later in the week,"" he said. Reith rode Shikra to eighth in the Gloaming but was on Complacent for his two starts as a juvenile, both seconds. Sportingbet have Savvy Nature, the Spring Stakes winner and Gloaming runner-up, a $3 favourite in front of Complacent at $4.60. Rock Hero has slipped into betting at $5.50 after his Dulcify win. ""He is still learning but we need to test him at group 1 level because he is still untapped,"" Payne said. ""I think he will be even better in the autumn but he is definitely up to shot at Spring Champion now."" Meanwhile, McEvoy will hope for a bit more on Long John than he had in the Guineas Prelude, when he closed fast late to run third to Eclair Big Bang. Long John, a winner of four of his six starts, has followed a traditional Caulfield Guineas and has barely put a step wrong. He resumed with a third in the McKenzie Stakes over the unsuitable distance of 1200m at Moonee Valley before winning at Listed level at 1400m at Flemington and his luckless Guineas Prelude effort. ""He has had a great preparation,"" Snowden said. ""I thought his first run was solid, his second-up win was good and his third-up run was excellent.""