Te Akau Matthew

Te Akau stable rider Matthew Cameron - Jockeys' Premiership winner last season, with 143 victories, has surged clear with a flurry of recent successes to lead the contest by nine at the halfway stage of the season.

With 86 wins to his name, and closest rival Danielle Johnson on 77, Cameron put the foot down during an eight day period that yielded fourteen. He rode three winners on 29 January at Hastings, three the following day at New Plymouth and two on 31 January at Te Rapa, including six from seven rides at one stage.  He continued later in the week with two on 5 February at Tauranga and four in succession on Waitangi Day at Tauherenikau.

“I didn't have a lot of rides during that time, and I was hoping to get a buffer on Danielle while she was out with a short suspension but it just seemed to happen,” said Cameron.

“I did win on a couple that she had ridden at their previous start, so it sort of doubles the wins with her missing out.  With six wins in two days and eight in three days and then get another six when racing started again later in the week, it's like Kane Williamson playing cricket for the Black Caps and scoring over 400 runs in the recent one-day games, with consecutive big scores.  It's just that when you're on form you have the confidence to keep going,” he said.

“Like a good cricketer, I try to get into the rhythm and do what you've done in the last few meetings and hope it keeps rolling on."

In his fourth season as stable rider for Te Akau, Cameron had been runner-up in close finishes for the top jockey title for two seasons prior to winning: in 2011/12 when Lisa Allpress (159) beat him by three and by the same margin in 2012/13 against Opie Bosson (152).

“I get along with Danielle just as well as I do with Lisa (Allpress),” said Cameron. “Lisa is a nice person and we got along well when we were travelling together to meetings and Danielle (Johnson) and I have been friends for quite awhile. Danielle just lives down the road from me and we hangout quite a bit together, so she is a good friend of mine.

“It's interesting because she is just as competitive as I am and we both work hard, and it was the same when it got close with Opie (Bosson) as well in the year before that. It's gone from Lisa, to Opie, to me, winning the title and now it's Danielle, so it's kind of like just moving through them."

As is the case in any sport, good form is a great feeling.

“Obviously you can't beat winning and the confidence that comes with it is huge. Even it is four maiden races in a row on a Friday at Tauherenikau, winning is winning and the confidence riding in a race just continues to build. Jumping out of the gates, you feel you can put them anywhere and you're still confident you can get them into a winning position before straightening and while it's just mind over matter it's a feeling of knowing I can do it,” he said.

“Even if I've run last in nine out of ten races and win the last race, it picks you up and gives you that winning feeling again. It helps with your confidence, how you look on a horse and how you present yourself, and it shows in your riding if you're winning all the time.

But things can change, as Cameron experienced on Saturday at Te Rapa.

“From riding all those winners and on a day you don't have a win, when I had seconds and rode them all okay, you start to think what have I done wrong? You kind of question yourself, but you're not doing anything wrong, except not winning, and when you leave the racecourse on a day with no winners you think you've had a terrible day. People say to me, ‘what's wrong? You're going great and just had a great week'. But, when you're used to winning all the time and don't get at least one win on a day you start to wonder what's going on. It's just the way it is, I suppose?"

Less than three weeks away from NZ Derby Day and Auckland Cup week at Ellerslie, Cameron is feeling in top shape.

“I feel great actually and being summer you're sweating all the time and therefore don't have to do so much sweating in the bath, or spa in order to take weight off which makes it easier to get up in the morning and not have so much to sweat out. It's better if it comes off naturally and not as hard on the body.

“I'm busy and fit as, and probably don't realise just how fit I am,” said Cameron.

“I had a heart monitor put on me for Wellington Cup Day (Jan. 24), in a 1200-metre sprint and it recorded my heart rate getting to 197,” said Cameron. “The people measuring it said ‘wow, that's an extreme heart rate when you're competing like that' and said it's almost heart attack kind of thing and although my heart was working overtime it was able to cope because I'm extremely fit. You just don't realise how fit you are and that your body is just naturally doing it, without a worry.

“When they contacted me with the results they wanted to know if I felt any different - whether I felt funny or light headed? I said ‘no' and that I felt fine. And in fact I wasn't even trying that hard on the horse in the finish, as I'd led up and I knew the horse would tire and ended up running fifth,” he said.

As juvenile horses continue to mature into the second half of their two year old year, Cameron is looking forward to some of the high quality young horses in the Te Akau stables at Matamata.

“Obviously, Special Memories (Fastnet Rock) is going to be a top filly as a three-year-old, and while not a natural two-year-old she's got a bit of class about her to have already won at two and I look forward to riding her in the Matamata Breeders' Stakes (Feb. 21).

“Unsurpassed (Exceed and Excel) is a top young horse and one to definitely watch and Splurge (Savabeel), we know how good he is. We have a lot to look forward to with him and his sister has been winning in Australia, and brother winning in Hong Kong. He could be one of the top horses, but there are plenty of good quality young horses coming up and I'm looking forward to riding them all."

Although carrying an injury into the Auckland Cup Carnival last year, Cameron still managed success in the two-mile feature.

“Winning the Auckland Cup last year on Who Shot Thebarman was an awesome feeling, and it was in difficult circumstances because I had an injured leg. But, this year I'm one-hundred percent healthy and just need to sort out all my rides with my manager Mike Brown,” said Cameron.

“I'm looking forward to riding the Derby favourite Volkstok'n'barrell (Tavistock). He's racing this weekend against a few better horses in the Avondale Guineas (Gr. 2, 2100m) and it will be interesting to see how he matches up against them.

“Mike (Brown) does a great job for me and it's a competitive time with all the jockey's agents hunting for the best rides coming up to cup week,” said Cameron. “I'm committed to riding horses for Te Akau but Mike is always picking up other rides that I'm getting winners from too."

Matt Cameron is a very special part of the Te Akau team and we love having him on board for example it was great to have him at the recent Karaka Open day supporting us.