The gelding saluted at Randwick in Saturday's Highway Handicap over 1200 metres, surging home to run down a gallant I Am Capitan in the last 100 metres.

With only a maximum of five victories making a horse eligible for the upcoming Country Championship heats, Quinn now has a decision to make.

What is the best path for Gumshoe to take over the next six months after registering his third win?

Quinn knows he has the potential to be something special.

"At the same stage of their careers he's probably on a par with Victorem," he said.

"Victorem won five of his first six race starts, so he had a profile straight away and I think Victorem won a highway with his fourth or fifth start also so he's comparable to a degree.

"But he's still got a long way to go to reach the heights that Victorem has so far."

Quinn said highways were traditionally not that easy to win.

"They're pretty competitive races because you're taking on country trainers from all over NSW so it was good that he won," he said.

"He has jumped out of nowhere to a degree, but he'd already had six starts for a couple of wins here and he's starting to build himself a little profile now."

The win at Randwick was another stepping stone to greater things and Quinn was confident he would be right in the mix for the country championship heats early next year.

"Hopefully he's the new Victorem and if he can replicate what he did it would be fantastic," he said.

"He's a year younger too, so in 12 months' time we might hopefully be talking in the same vain and that'd be fantastic for the owners.

"All going well there's another race for him at Rosehill in a fortnight which he'll contest.

"If he can win again he'll go for a break and then come back for the Country Championships in February next year."

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