McNeil out to add to recent city winners

Jockey Jye McNeil is having his most successful season and is looking to consolidate at Sandown.

Currently sharing the lead in the Victorian jockeys’ premiership and with his first Group One win secured during the spring, Jye McNeil is on target for a career-best season.

McNeil’s 53 winners across Victoria in 2019/20 have him equal with Harry Coffey at the top of the state premiership and on track to reach the 109 he rode last season.

The 25-year-old is seventh on the metropolitan standings with 19 winners, one short of the total he achieved during the entire 2018/19 season.

“To be where I am now with over six months of the season still to go, it’s putting me in a good position to have the best season of my career so hopefully things just continue on,” McNeil said.

The highlight of his season, and his career to date, has been his first Group One success in the Turnbull Stakes in October at Flemington on Kings Will Dream.

More recently he won the Listed Christmas Stakes at Caulfield on December 26 on All Too Royal.

He has started 2020 with a win aboard in-form Yulong January on January 1 at Flemington and a winning double at Caulfield last Saturday.

He hopes he can add to the tally at Wednesday’s Sandown meeting where he has six rides.

The Lindsay Park-trained filly Namimo is the early favourite to break through for her maiden win in the Ladbrokes Plate (1200m) at her 10th start.

McNeil finished second on Namimo at The Valley at her most recent start on December 13.

“She is my best ride for the day, in my opinion,” McNeil said.

“Last start the winner of that race had all the advantages. It went slow in front and was able to kick around the turn at Moonee Valley.

“My filly didn’t really handle the turn that well so I’m looking forward to riding her on a bigger track like Sandown and I think she’ll be pretty hard to beat.

“I’ve got six rides tomorrow so hopefully the form can continue and it looks as though I’m going to have a pretty solid book of rides for the weekend as well at Flemington which is something to look forward to.”