Fieldmaster has returned from a career-threatening eye problem to score a convincing win in the JJ Houlahan Hurdle at Sandown.

Fieldmaster's victory on Sunday continued the successful jumps season for his trainer Patrick Payne, who clinched the 2014 JJ Houlahan Championship with the victory.

With points awarded in the series of 16 feature jumps races in South Australia and Victoria, Payne overtook Darren Weir in the trainers' standings for the series with the 12 points accumulated for Fieldmaster's win.

Payne said it was an honour to win the JJ Houlahan Hurdle, named after the late trainer Jim Houlahan who is considered the doyen of jumps racing in Australia.

"I used to ride for him. He was a fantastic bloke," Payne said.

Fieldmaster was run down in the Australian Hurdle by Gotta Take Care on May 31 and had not raced since.

He was sent out favourite in Sunday's 3400m hurdle and after settling behind the speed, he worked his way to the front early in the home straight before powering clear to win by 5-1/2 lengths from King Of Dudes with a long head to Stand To Gain third.

"He got a bang to his eye just after his last run and it got an ulcer on it," Payne said.

He praised the veterinarians that treated Fieldmaster.

"He could have lost his eye at one stage. They did a really good job of getting him back," he said.

"We just used it as an excuse to freshen him up. We questioned whether he could stay well enough for the Grand National Hurdle or not, so we thought we would freshen him up for this.

"What an honour to win the JJ Houlahan."

Payne has already trained the winners of the Great Eastern Steeplechase, Grand Annual Steeplechase, Grand National Hurdle, Australian Steeplechase and Kevin Lafferty Hurdle this season.