Four-year-old Trust In A Gust has shown he is on track for another good preparation with a hard-fought first-up win at Moonee Valley.

The Darren Weir-trained Trust In A Gust went past $500,000 in prize money when he defied a three-wide run to claim a half-neck win in Saturday's Jeep Don't Hold Back Handicap (1200m).

Trust In A Gust ($3.70) just got the better of Solsay ($7) with the favourite Under The Louvre ($3.20) running home for third, another short-half head away.

Weir said Trust In A Gust would likely head to a 1400m race and didn't rule out having a shot at the Rupert Clarke Stakes if the honest galloper kept stepping up.

"That was a great win today because there's plenty of improvement in him," Weir said.

Brad Rawiller was full of praise for Trust In A Gust who he said had been well placed during his career.

"It's never easy when you are three wide outside the leader but we hadn't gone hard and I was happy to have him travelling nicely," Rawiller said.

"If I had gone back it would have been too much of a task for him first-up.

Trust In A Gust's seventh career win from 13 starts brought up an early winning double for Weir after eight-year-old stayer Count Encosta continued his resurgent form.