A recent gear change has added another string to the bow of consistent gelding Onthelookout who will chase his first black-type win in Saturday's Listed Civic Stakes at Rosehill.Onthelookout had an inclination to pull in his races so co-trainers Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones decided to take the blinkers off two starts ago and step him up in trip.It paid immediate dividends with Onthelookout scoring his first win beyond 1300m when he claimed the PJ Bell Country Cup (1400m) on June 13 before beati

A recent gear change has added another string to the bow of consistent gelding Onthelookout who will chase his first black-type win in Saturday's Listed Civic Stakes at Rosehill.

Onthelookout had an inclination to pull in his races so co-trainers Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones decided to take the blinkers off two starts ago and step him up in trip.

It paid immediate dividends with Onthelookout scoring his first win beyond 1300m when he claimed the PJ Bell Country Cup (1400m) on June 13 before beating all but Little Surfer Girl over 1350m at Rosehill on Saturday.

Jones confirmed the five-year-old would back up in the Civic Stakes (1400m) which would be a stepping stone to the Listed Winter Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on July 16.

"We would have had to wait three weeks for the Winter Stakes and he would have been a bit fresh so we decided to go for this," Jones said.

"If all goes well he'll head to the Winter Stakes, we want to give him a chance over 1500 metres.

"Up until this preparation he hadn't gone beyond 1200 or 1300 metres.

"We took the blinkers off a couple of starts ago and it has done the trick in terms of getting him to settle."

Onthelookout has been remarkably consistent, winning or being placed in 20 of his 30 starts and missing a prizemoney cheque only twice.

At his only other test in stakes company he finished third to Lebrechaun and Bacchanal Woman in the Listed National Sprint (1400m) at Canberra in March.

He has drawn barrier eight in the field of 13 for Saturday's feature and apprentice Adam Hyeronimus has been rewarded for his win aboard the gelding two starts ago with the Civic Stakes ride.

Multiple Group One winner Sniper's Bullet is among the acceptors and will be chasing his first win since the Kingston Town Classic at Ascot in December 2009.

Premiership pacesetter Chris Waller is set to have three runners - Altered Boy, Gigino and Little Surfer Girl - while Joe Pride has paid up for Takeover Target Stakes winner Title.

Jones rates Title among the hardest to beat but is buoyed by the fact Onthelookout finished a half-length behind that galloper when the pair were second and fourth respectively at Rosehill in May.

"Title is obviously the horse to beat but if you go back three starts we finished fourth alongside him behind Khas Kura," Jones said.

"Personally, I think that was his worst run this preparation.

"It was his last day in blinkers and that day he overraced but we've taken the blinkers off now."