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By Ray Hickson

Mike Van Gestel isn’t a big fan of the limelight but that’s where he’ll be if his bonny mare Dark Glitter can give him career milestone at Rosehill on Saturday.

Mike Van Gestel with Molly Bourke after Dark Glitter's Randwick win in February. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The Hawkesbury trainer, 81, won two Group 3s with Casino Dancer a decade ago and is chasing his first Group 2 in the $400,000 Racing And Sports Golden Pendant (1400m).

It doesn’t matter to Van Gestel that Dark Glitter is often overlooked in her races, she opened $15 with TAB on Wednesday, because he knows she’ll always give 100 per cent.

“She’s on the radar all right but no-one wants to take notice of her,’’ he said.

“That’s okay with us, we don’t look for the limelight. She tries hard. One day her day will come, she gets back in the field so it's not always easy for her.

“Racing is a great leveller. I’ve seen enough of the world not to go with the hype, I see what I see. It’s a similar race to the previous run at Rosehill.”

That race was the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes over 1200m two weeks ago and Dark Glitter started $51 as she ran Manaal, who she meets again, to half a length.

Van Gestel then backed her up six days later and she finished an unlucky fifth in the Tibbie Stakes (1400m) on Newcastle Cup Day, where he says a split second decision probably cost her being in the finish.

But he’s not one to bag jockeys, especially when you have a horse that doesn’t have the early speed to be prominent and you require an element of luck to run on.

“We thought if she’d stayed on the fence she might have got through uninterrupted and it could have been a different result,’’ he said.

“That’s what happens on the fence, if you’re drawn there you can be stuck there. We’ve drawn one on Saturday, we’re going to be on the fence and it’s up to the jockey."

The Pendant will be the five-year-old's third run in 14 days but he said she's eaten up well and saw no reason not to go around again.

Dark Glitter has won five of her 34 starts, the latest at Randwick in February, and has been placed twice and Group 2 level and once at Group 3.

She’s a very different animal to her half-brother No Statement, a speedster who has won 14 races from 900m-1100m.

Asked if he wished Dark Glitter possessed some of that speed Van Gestel said it could take away her best asset, which is her finishing burst.

“Maybe a little bit but then maybe she wouldn’t be running on as much,’’ he said.

“No Statement is a flying machine, he does the opposite to her. He stops at the end and sometimes he goes too fast early.

“It’s fascinating that she doesn’t go as well early but at 1400m she can be a little more prominent.

Dark Glitter runs fifth at Newcastle on September 19

“We like to have a crack and it’s a good race for her. She needs a bit of luck for sure again, hopefully the gaps can open up.”

If Dark Glitter performs well again, and continues to train on, Van Gestel said she might line up in the $1.5m Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on October 11.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Golden Rose meeting at Rosehill