Douglas Whyte is hoping an entry for Shanwah in next month’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) will not look speculative after he tackles Sunday’s Class Two 1,600m Turf Handicap at Sha Tin.

The Too Darn Hot galloper was a very smart recruit for the Whyte stable from Australia, where he won a pair of Group Two races for Ciaron Maher – the Caulfield Autumn Classic (1,800m) and the Alister Clark Stakes (2,040m) at Moonee Valley.

He made his local debut three weeks ago, finishing 11th in the Class Two Santa Monica Handicap (1,400m), and Whyte has liked what he has seen at home since that effort.

“I thought his local debut was a nice first-up run. The distance was too short and he wasn’t quite ready, as we all knew,” said Whyte. “He’s come on a lot from that introduction to Hong Kong racing and the step up in trip will certainly be beneficial.

“I don’t think he’ll need a lot more time [to reach his peak] given what he has shown me in a short space of time. He’s certainly adapted and adjusted.

“He’s come on significantly from that first-up run and he’s definitely acclimatised and adjusted much quicker than I would have expected him to.”

Despite his obvious class, Shanwah will need to show an explosive turn of foot on Sunday to be taking up a Group One start at next month’s Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR).

That is not a fanciful thought for Whyte, though the 54-year-old is wary of a wide draw in gate 10 making things tricky for him to show his best.

“The draw is going to be a bit of a concern. I do think he’s going to be a better horse with cover following a few,” said Whyte.

“He tends to give me the feel that he wants to chase horses, so hopefully with the speed in the race he can try to find somewhere midfield or slightly further back with cover and pass some horses late.

“I think that’s the best plan of attack, but I’ll obviously wait and see if there is any track bias or pattern on the day.”

With Group One targets in mind, Whyte has set a benchmark that his four-year-old will need to meet if he is to rock up against the likes of Romantic Warrior and Quisisana on December 14.

“He’d have to be running home with strong sectionals. I know he’s going to improve again after this race. He does well at home in the feed bin and in general, so he’s going to take a lot of improvement from this run again,” Whyte said.

“I would be happy to see him run home strongly and I know third up or fourth up is where he’ll likely be at his peak. I think he would need to finish third or fourth at least to be looking towards the Cup.”

Whyte has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, slamming in nine winners and a further 16 seconds or thirds.