Stable assistant Glen Thompson, who is set to enter into a training partnership with Mike Moroney in the upcoming season, said the team have always had a good opinion of Justadeel with the step up to a mile the key.
“He had to raise the bar a little bit against these horses today and he’s definitely done that. He’s a horse that the stable have always thought once he gets out over this trip you’ll see the best of him and probably again once he gets out over even further,” Thompson said.
McNeil, who rode Justadeel to a last-start second at Sandown Hillside, said the horse has further improvement to come, while also giving a shoutout to Moroney, who is recovering from a collapsed lung and pneumonia.
“A couple of times during the run he really got running on me so a little bit of work to do just to keep him settled but a really nice horse moving forward,” McNeil said.
“Cheerio out to Mike as well, wherever he’s watching on, I’m sure he would’ve gotten a good kick out of that today.”
Brown in for big day
Ethan Brown came to Flemington Finals Day with a very strong book of rides including hot favourites Berkshire Breeze and Steel Run and wasted no time capitalising, winning the Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) aboard the Ben, Will & JD Hayes trained Jenni’s Meadow, who started a $5.50 third elect.