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Nigel Tiley believes The Justice League can realise his full potential this preparation.
The Pukekohe trainer produced the four-year-old to knock out his Boxing Day rivals at Ellerslie and he now has his sights firmly set on a Trentham feature.
“I’ve got him in the Thorndon at Wellington, we’re going to have a crack at some decent races with him,” Tiley said.“I’ve always thought that he was a very good horse.”
The Justice League won the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas at Trentham last season before he crossed the Tasman to join Darren Weir’s stable. However, he failed to fire in two starts, both at Caulfield.“He just didn’t come up in Australia so we made the call to bring him back,” Tiley said.
While The Justice League has yet to race beyond a mile, he is expected to cope with more ground.“He’s in the Herbie Dyke Stakes as well and I’m convinced that he will get 2000 metres,” Tiley said.
Meanwhile, summer conditions aren’t going to trouble stablemate Megablast, according to a pair of senior jockeys who have ridden the smart stayer in his last two starts.The lightly-raced five-year-old has won six of his 16 starts with all his successes so far posted on rain-affected going.
“Both Mark Du Plessis and Kelly McCulloch have told me that he’s got the action of a good track horse,” trainer Nigel Tiley said.Du Plessis rode Megablast when they finished fourth in last month’s Gr.3 Counties Cup and McCulloch guided him into third in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup.
“He slipped when he jumped out at Te Rapa and gave himself a black eye, I think he banged it on his knee and he had decent old shiner for a few days,” Tiley said. “He’s a really progressive horse.”Megablast will make his next appearance the Gr.3 Laser Plumbing Te Puke City of Auckland Cup at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.
“All going well we’ll go to the Avondale Cup after that and then on to the Auckland Cup,” Tiley said.