Next year's Group One Doncaster Mile will come a step closer if the lightly-raced Glintz handles his first stakes test on Thursday.John O'Shea has selected the Group Three Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) as the four-year-old's spring grand final, but he has a longer-range view of the gelding being a Doncaster hope in the autumn."That's ultimately where we would like to end up, you've got to have a plan," O'Shea said.The Randwick trainer has won the Doncaster with Private Steer (2004) and Racing To W
Next year's Group One Doncaster Mile will come a step closer if the lightly-raced Glintz handles his first stakes test on Thursday.
John O'Shea has selected the Group Three Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) as the four-year-old's spring grand final, but he has a longer-range view of the gelding being a Doncaster hope in the autumn.
"That's ultimately where we would like to end up, you've got to have a plan," O'Shea said.
The Randwick trainer has won the Doncaster with Private Steer (2004) and Racing To Win (2006).
Glintz has been unbeaten in four runs this preparation including a frontrunning 3-1/2-length victory in a Rosehill Benchmark 80 (1500m) last start.
The son of Pins also streeted his rivals by seven lengths in a Hawkesbury Class Two earlier in the campaign to bring the Hawkesbury Gold Cup into focus.
O'Shea has had to be patient with Glintz early in his career and Thursday's race will be just his eighth start.
"But it looks as though the patience is paying off and the horse is going along nicely," he said.
"I would even say we've still battled with a little bit of immaturity this preparation, he's still not at his peak."
The Pat and Wayne Webster-trained Thankgodyou'rehere is slightly favoured at $2.30 with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Glintz at $2.40.
They dominate the market with Mentality next best at $13.
O'Shea said Thursday's race was a good chance to boost Glintz's handicap rating before he goes for a spell.
"He's still only a rating 75 but he would be the sort of horse that you would think could make a bit of improvement in the autumn and progress through a race like the Ajax Stakes into a Doncaster," the trainer said.
"If he won on Thursday it would be good because it would probably almost qualify him for the Doncaster.
"He'd only have to win a little race in the autumn to get in."
A slow (6) was posted for Hawkesbury on Wednesday afternoon with 44mm of rain in the past 48 hours.
Glintz won on a slow (6) at Canterbury two starts ago but O'Shea said he would prefer the gelding on top of the ground.
Thankgodyou'rehere has won six of his 10 starts and was impressive winning by two lengths over 1400m at Randwick last time out after missing the start.
O'Shea has plenty of respect for Thankgodyou'rehere's untapped ability but believes the Gai Waterhouse-trained Joku could prove the hardest to hold out around the tighter Hawkesbury circuit.
The meeting also features the Listed Skin Fitness Ladies Day Cup (1300m) in which the Bart Cummings-trained Griffon is the $2.40 favourite.