By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
Alana Cameron has had a flying start to 2023, and two of the four horses she’s won with this year will line up at Addington today.
Cameron will team up with Philadelphia Filly and Rocknroll Diva in the day’s two junior drivers races, the IRT.Your Horse. Our Passion Pace (4.01pm) and the Renwick Farms Pace (5.07pm), as well as Tyke in the NZB Airfreight Mobile Pace (6.16pm).
“Its been a really good season so far and it helps when you get the horsepower.”
Now a mother to eight month old Reuben, Cameron says life can be a “a bit of a juggle” but on the track she’s had seven wins this year, just three shy of her previous best, the 10 she had in 2021.
There have been four wins with the Mark and Kendra Gill-trained Amarla and one each with Buffy Northstains, Rocknroll Diva and Philadelphia Filly, who is trained by partner Matt Purvis.
“Every year I try and do better than the previous year by three to five and I’m well on track to do that.”
In race 2 Cameron rates Philadelphia Filly, despite another poor draw. She’ll start at eight over the 1980m, and was at $13 and $3.60 in the early markets.
“She is a bit of a one trick pony, she can’t go around the field and make her own luck but has been rattling home.”
A winner four starts ago for Cameron at Methven there is a confidence she can be a factor again,
“The small field helps, and she can finish over the top of them.”
The Trent Yesberg-trained Rocknroll Diva – $7 and $2.40 – was a winner two starts back and then eighth at Addington. Again she’s got a tough draw (6).
“She was unlucky last start and there were no gaps in the last 200 but her sectionals on Stridemaster were fantastic.”
Stridemaster timed her at 27.26 seconds for the last 400m Time Equivalent, the fastest of any horse in the race.
And in race 6 (6.16pm) Tyke, who’s paying $18 and $4.50, heads to Addington after being on the West Coast circuit.
“I don’t think she handles the grass as well as the all-weather … can’t see why she wouldn’t be a top four chance.”
Tyke is one of two Purvis-trained runners in the race, Life’s A Cabaret ($6.50) looks a chance, as do Eddie Osei ($3.50), who finished second on debut for Ben Hope, the Dunn-trained Adesanya ($4.80) and Eastwood Dream ($3.80).
