For a few strides it looked as though the Bendigo trainer was on his way to the Melbourne Cup with his fast-improving mare by winning the Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m).

"When Ollie (Damien Oliver) started niggling for his horse and (Super Girl's jockey) Billy (Egan) seemingly hadn't gone for her...I certainly started to get more vocal that's for sure," Julius admitted.

In the end, Super Girl couldn't run down eventual winner Oceanex and short-priced favourite King of Leongrance and finished a gallant third in a career-best run.

The mare was just two lengths away from an automatic berth in this year's Melbourne Cup and it took a Group-winning mare from one of Australia's premier stables and the reigning Adelaide Cup winner to beat her.

"We've been speaking all prepration about how much she's progressed,'' a proud Julius said on Sunday.

"To be one length behind the Adelaide Cup winner and two lengths behind a very much in-form Port Adelaide Cup winner...we know where we are at now.

"There's no doubts about distance, no doubts about grade. You can argue that the Ramsden is an off-season staying race, but it is a black type race and it's over 2800m.

"Stepping up to group company in the spring will be harder again, but she took a step from last spring to this autumn and, hopefully, she can taken another step next spring."

Super Girl didn't earn a Melbourne Cup berth on Saturday, but she'll still be aimed at the great race this spring.

With international horses likely to be absent from this year's spring carnival, the door is ajar for more local stayers to feature in the big races.

"With a horse like Super Girl that's down in the ratings, we're going to need everything to go our way in the spring,'' he said.

"This is certainly the year to have a crack (at getting a run in the Melbourne Cup), so you have to take that opportunity."

Super Girl will spend at least a month in the paddock now before returning to trackwork.

"We'll have to target those ballott free races like the Ramsden was,'' Julius said.

"The Bart Cummings is the first of those in the spring and then the last option is the Lexus (on Derby Day).

"They're races we'd target to get into the Melbourne Cup, which she'll be nominated for.

"We'll probably nominate for the Caulfield Cup as well. She has to qualify to get into the big races and to do that she needs to win the right lead-up races.

"Early on in the spring we'll set her for some restricted mares races in town. Hopefully, she can win and place in those races to get her rating up accordingly ahead of races like the Bart Cummings.

"By then she'll be fit and firing and, hopefully, it falls into place that she can go on to the Melbourne Cup."

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