THE SUPERSTAKES has had a long and colourful history. The idea of developing the Superstakes was conceived by the late Jack Ashenheim, then chairman of Track Services Limited, the management company of Racing Promotions Limited in the latter part of 1977.

Ashenheim sold the idea to the Hon. Paul Geddes, then chairman of Desnoes & Geddes Limited, and the Red Stripes Superstakes became a reality at Caymanas Park in late 1978.

Indeed, Ashenheim's vision was to develop a unique kind of race - one which would eventually become the testing ground for West Indian-bred horses.

Run for the first time in November, 1978, the prestigious invitational race over 2000 metres was won by the legendary LEGAL LIGHT, who was owned and bred by Ashenheim.

Ridden by a youthful Winston Griffiths for trainer Kenneth Mattis, both of whom went on to become many-time champions in their respective fields, LEGAL LIGHT scored a famous victory over his arch-rival, ARIZONA.

Over the years, the race has been graced with the participation of some of the most outstanding thoroughbreds of the English-speaking Caribbean, including the Trinidadian-trained horse BAREE BAHIN, who won in 1986 with Ranjit Kisson riding for the late trainer Eric 'Colt' Durant; ADORING GROOM (1996) and 99-1 outsider MY FRIEND RICH (1997), who was awarded first place on the disqualification of the native-bred three-year-old filly PW's CHOICE.

ante-post favourite

ADORING GROOM and MY FRIEND RICH were ridden by two-time local champion, the Trinidadian Brian Harding, who rides ante-post favourite ALSAFRA in today's 30th running.Today, there is no doubt that the Superstakes is the most prestigious race on the Jamaica calendar in that, unlike the Derby which is confined to three-year-olds, it caters to three-year-olds and older horses.

The popular grade one race broke new ground in 1994 by becoming the first horse racing event from the region to be simulcast overseas for wagering. On the first occasion, a 'Jamaica Day' was staged at the Calder racetrack in Miami, Florida, and the race was beamed live to 39 locations throughout the United States.

Six years later, there was another breakthrough as the Philadelphia Hub and New York received Jamaica's satellite signal to their off-track betting parlours.

The inaugural running of the Red Stripe Superstakes in 1978 offered prizemoney of $32,000 and over the years the promoters and sponsors have been able to maintain an attractive purse with this year's renewal boasting a purse of $5 million. Significantly, the race is without a corporate sponsor for the first time in its history, forcing the promoters, Caymanas Track Limited, to fill the breach. CTL has increased the purse from $4.5 million last year to $5 million.

three multiple winners

Significantly, the race has seen three multiple winners in LEGAL LIGHT (twice), the Philip Feanny-trained THE VICEROY, who won back-to-back in 1989 and 1990 and again in 1992 following an epic duel with stable companion and Triple Crown winner MILLI-GRAM. Richard Azan-owned and trained MENUDO holds the unique distinction of winning four years in a row from 1999 to 2002.

LEGAL LIGHT, who won the first running in 1978 and repeated the feat in 1981 with Fitzroy Glispie deputising for Griffiths, who accompanied the Mattis-trained ROYAL DAD to the Caribbean Classic in Puerto Rico that same weekend.

Can MAJOR MAYER emulate the feature of THE VICEROY and MENUDO by scoring back-to-back wins?