Cameron makes the call

There are changes afoot for harness racing junior driver Alana Cameron. She and her partner, trainer Matt Purvis, welcomed their baby boy Reuben just over a year ago, and Alana who until recently was working for Swannanoa trainer Benny Hill, is about to take up a job in the real estate industry.

“I’ve been there (at Hill’s) since just after Covid. Because I’ve just had a baby I won’t be going back into horses (full time). I need something that’s a bit more flexible, so I’ve got a job as a personal assistant for a Real Estate Agent. It’ll be really good because I can still do the horses in the weekends and drive as well. So it’ll be a good challenge and a good change,” Cameron said.

She hopes that when Ruben is older she’ll return to race day driving on a more permanent basis but will assess how well her new career is going before making the call.

Now in her fourth season as a junior driver, Cameron has driven twenty six winners. Her first was Smarter VC (Washington VC) at Addington in August 2019.

“Matt trained him for a bunch of his friends so that was super cool. I was only on him because he was a junior claimer, so he got to race down a grade.”

Of her twenty six lifetime winners, fifteen have been for Purvis with Mark and Kendra Gill providing a further five.

Cameron’s grandfather Ray Souness held a trainer’s license between 1974 and 1998 training mainly in Southland. And her parents Paul and Vicki Cameron are also in the sport.

They bred McArdle Royale (McArdle) which won six races for Michael House, and Paul raced Future Fortune (Future Hanover) which won nine races including the Northern Southland, Winton and Tuapeka Cups.

The Camerons have also raced Carrick (Caprock) who took out six wins and Quarterback (Sportswriter) which won four; three with Alana in the cart.

Cameron was educated at Winton Primary School before the family headed to Christchurch where she went to Christchurch Girls High.

“Like a typical horse person, I went to school to eat my lunch and see my friends. I didn’t finish school, I left early and did the horses full time. Mum And Dad had a horse with Michael House at the time so I helped out there in the school holidays. I also did quite a bit with Michael’s partner Lindsay (vet Lindsay Colwell) because I was interested in that side of the sport as well.”

After finishing at the House stable she worked for Canterbury trainer Tim Butt and then Jonny Cox who took over the stable when Butt relocated to Australia.

“I was doing that before school as well as yearling prep for Bromac Lodge.”

While at school she enjoyed athletics and she played netball for Selwyn and Canterbury Districts.

Like most junior drivers she’d love to win the Darren De Filippi Memorial.

“Colin and Julie (De Filippi) are such wonderful people who have given a lot to the industry and it was an awful thing that happened to a young horseman so early in his career. Winning a maiden race on a Sunday is great to win as well. You can’t be too picky.”

Cameron says Finders Keepers, (Gold Ace) a mare in the Purvis stable which is part owned by Mark and Kendra Gill, is one to keep an eye on.

“When she figures it all out I think she’ll go a fair way.”

Despite Alana’s change of career, she’ll still be at the races taking the opportunities whenever she can to drive horses, something she loves to do.

“I love it. When the weather’s bad you’ve got to love it to do it.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink