Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

LAST YEAR'S Superstakes winner, MAJOR MAYER, served notice to rivals for the rich and prestigious invitational race to be run in November, with a decisive victory in the Viceroy Trophy grade one feature over 1800 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Going off at odds of 5-1 with customary pilot Richie Mitchell in the saddle, MAJOR MAYER toting top weight of 60.5kg in a field of seven, stayed on strongly in the last furlong to win by one and a half lengths from 8-5 favourite AD INFINITUM, who failed in his bid for a hat-trick of cup race wins.

Third went to PASSA PASSA at 7-1.

When the starter let them go, IVAN THE TERRIBLE, highly fancied at 3-1 with champion jockey Omar Walker aboard, whipped around at the start, unseating the jockey who landed on both feet near the rails.

Close run

It was PASSA PASSA, under five-time champion jockey Trevor Simpson, who led narrowly from MAJOR MAYER, closely followed by RAMPAGE (4-1) under Shane Ellis and AD INFINITUM not far off the pace in fourth with in-form Dane Nelson aboard.

MAJOR MAYER was sent into the lead after 600m and although taken on by RAMPAGE passing the half mile and AD INFINITUM on the outside at the final bend, found extra when taken down to the rails he relishes so much, holding AD INFINITUM at bay to record his second win from five starts this season.

Owned by T.Y.S. Racing Stables and trained by Michael McIntosh, MAJOR MAYER had previously won the Bob Mayall Memorial Trophy over 1600m on July 5 when beating subsequent dual winner CHADMAN.

He then carried top weight of 60.5kg and despite a below par effort behind the season's top stayer, ALLIEDFORCE, in the August 6 Prime Minister's Stakes, came back more focussed yesterday.

Bred by many-time champion Henry W. Jaghai, MAJOR MAYER is a five-year-old chestnut gelding by Sir Lal Bahadur out of the 2007 champion broodmare Tee Gee Vee.

Weighing options

Trainer McIntosh, who copped the feature race double with 6-5 chance MINISTEROFJUSTICE (Dane Nelson up) in the Mark Twain Trophy over 1600m (non-winners of three), said he is unsure when MAJOR MAYER will run again.

"We'll have to see how he comes out of this race before weighing our options. We could run him in the Governor General's Stakes over ten furlongs on Heroes Day next month, but he will definitely have another race before the November 8 Superstakes, which remains his major objective," McIntosh said.

Walker rode two winners in ITALQUEEN (5-2) and the lightly-raced EVE'S A LEGEND (6-1) in the closing race for maiden three-year-olds to push his season's tally to 107, while the claiming apprentice Delroy Beharie also twirled a double comprising odds-on favourites, CHOSEN ONE and LADY RAKWALAAY.