Superstakes ‘2007’ was the moment
TRAINER Michael McIntosh is describing the victory by Major Meyer in the 2007 Superstakes as the ‘proudest’ moment thus far in his career.
Major Meyer, owned by TYS Racing Stables and ridden by Richard Mitchell, won the 2,000-metre event, which was sponsored by MegaFone, at 18-1 in a time of 2:06:2 minutes to give McIntosh his first and only Superstakes winner.
“The feeling was wonderful when Major Meyer went by the winning post in front in the Superstakes in 2007. I was so happy and excited at the same time; to win my first Superstakes was just pure joy for me,” McIntosh said.
“The win was very much expected. Weeks before the Superstakes, he (Major Meyer) was working brilliantly in the mornings and he showed that he had the potential and ability to get the job done when it mattered most.
“Based on his preparation, I was confident coming into the race as he was training pretty well and he got a jockey that knew him very well. That day when he crossed the post in first place was the proudest moment in my life in horse racing to date,” McIntosh told the Complete Racing Guide.
McIntosh, who has been training horses for thoroughbred racing for the past 20 years, praised ‘Byah’ Mitchell for a wonderful ride aboard his charge.
“Richard Mitchell rode a magnificent race that day. Mitchell knew Mayor Meyer like the back of his hand and he rode a very confident race to bring Major Mayer home. The plan was to get a good break; position him well in mid-pack — close to the leaders, and make the move leaving the two-furlong point. Mitchell stuck to the game plan and was victorious in the biggest race on the racing calendar,” explained McIntosh.
McIntosh said that when preparing a horse for a big race like the Superstakes, one should not take the horse from his routine training process.
“Training horses for the Superstakes is very important as more time must be spent on the horses. However, trainers should stick to the normal training method and don’t change too much of the routine because you can change the routine and something can go wrong with the horse. The horse can get injured and stuff like that,” he said.
As to his thoughts on this year’s running of the Burger King-sponsored Superstakes, McIntosh said: ‘I don’t have a horse in the race but I am going to watch the race very closely. I think that the race will be competitive, and may the best horse win.”