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Archie Alexander has Group 1 autumn ambitions with Somewhere, who will go for a break after a bold third in last Saturday’s G2 Sandown Guineas.

The son of Puissance De Lune made a big impression on debut at Ballarat and lost zero admirers stepping straight up to Stakes level at start two.

Settling midfield under John Allen, Somewhere was stuck behind a wall of horses when the sprint came on around the bend, but let down superbly once in some daylight.

Even without the clearest passage home, the gelding flashed home to pinch third on the line and while there is a natural element of frustration after the luckless run, Alexander was delighted with Somewhere’s big effort.

The Ballarat-based trainer said that Somewhere had come through the run well, but had certainly left everything on the track and will now head to Nagambie for a spell.

“He’s good, but you know he’s had a race, he tried so hard. He slept well on Saturday night and he did us really proud,” he said.

“There’s always a little frustration when you don’t win, just with the way the race turned out. Johnny (Allen) did nothing wrong, he had him in a nice spot, we just never got the smooth run we needed.

“But to go from a maiden to a Group 2 and run that well, we were chuffed. He’ll go back to Gerry Ryan’s farm tomorrow for a little break.”

Nothing is yet set in stone but, on the limited evidence available, Alexander said the G1 Australian Guineas could be a suitable target next campaign.

Though Alexander expects Somewhere to get slightly further over time, he is keen to see what he can do over a mile on the spacious Flemington track.

“We’ll bring him back in the autumn with no solid plans, but you’d think maybe the Australian Guineas at Flemington might be a good goal,” he said.

“He’s probably looking for a bit further than the mile – the 1800-2000 metres might be where he ends up – but a big track and a solid mile would really suit him.”

Alexander will likely have two runners for his local cup meeting on Saturday, with Prince Eric in the McKellar Mile and Bizot in the VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade (1200m).

Prince Eric will be second-up in Australia after a solid third in the Donald Cup, while Bizot has had a slight freshen up after two Stakes runs, including a third placing at Caulfield two back.

“Hopefully it’s a good day, only two runners, but two horses that should go really well,” he said.