Cameron finds success with Let Her Roll in SA Oaks
A 20-year quest reached its’ ‘holy grail’ when Let It Roll scored a brilliant win in the Listed 2025 Ladbrokes South Australian Oaks (1800m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.
Successful South Australian owner-breeder Bruce Cameron admitted he had been chasing a win in a local open feature since first being involved in harness racing.
Cameron, and his brother Craig who lives in Victoria, have bred a long list of impressive pacers and picked up an amazing 12 Southern Cross winners, two BOTRA Sales victors and an Allwood winner but had failed to land a blue riband classic.
Let It Roll, a virtually unbackable $1.06 favourite, broke the drought leading for most of the way in the Oaks to score by 29-1/2 metres from dead heaters Dee Jays Miss ($34) and Queen Lilibet ($31).
The winner rated a brilliant 1:56.1 with a sizzling last 800 metres in 56.3 seconds.
Cameron said an Oaks or Derby winner had been a high priority and he was delighted Let It Roll had been able to win.
“Our first SA Oaks runner was Secret Life which ran third in 2006, then Celebrity Guest ran third in 2016 before Seachange was fifth in 2021,” he said.
“Let Her Roll has been racing really well in Victoria without a lot of luck finishing second in a Vicbred Super Series heat then fifth in the final.
“I believe she will head home to trainer Emma Stewart’s stable and run in Friday’s Breeders Crown heats at Melton.”
For winning reinsman Wayne Hill it completed a family trifecta in the SA feature.
Father Gary Hill trained and drove the 1999 SA Oaks winner Please Don’t Tease, while Wayne’s sister Danielle won on the Glenda Fuller-trained Whats Emma Got (2015) then trained and drove Passions Delight in 2018.
Trainer Emma Stewart now has prepared the winners of three of the last four SA Oaks, champion Encipher in 2022 and Showesomejoy in 2024.
All three have had a strong South Australian ownership connection.
Hill came out passively on Let Her Roll from gate four allowing rivals to sort out the front positions in the first 200 metres before letting his filly stride forward and find the front and from then, the race became a procession.
The winner was never challenged as her winning margin suggests.
Dee Jays Miss, driven by Angela Chapman for trainer Max Beasley, and Queen Lilibet, prepared by Barry Finnis and driven by his son Jayson, both ran well to deadheat for second.
The Camerons had another feature race win on Saturday with two-year-old filly My Bettor Half taking out the 2025 SA BOTRA Southern Stars Plus Series Final (1800m) in what was one of the races of the night.
My Bettor Half was also a virtually unbackable $1.06 favourite but any punter who took the short odds would have had their hearts in their mouths over the final 200 metres.
The favourite sat outside the leader Steam Machine ($8) but when she was expected to draw clear found her rival up for the fight.
The pair raced stride for stride up the home straight before My Bettor Half was able to claim a half head win.
Indicative of the quality of the two-year-olds was they ran their last half in 56.5 seconds with an outstanding final quarter of 27.6 seconds.
Third-placed Grumpypants Gracie ($15) was 21-1/2 metres away third.
While Mount Gambier trainer-driver David Drury had to settle for a second on Steam Machine, he went one better on half-sister Always Steamed Up in the Ladbrokes Quick Multi Pace (2230m).
Always Steamed Up ($6.50) drew clear for a three-metre win from Placed You Don’t ($5) with Alora ($7.50), five metres away third.
The victory would be a good medicine for part-owner-breeder Bob Maloney who has be in the Mount Gambier Hospital for the past month with health issues.
Maloney, and his wife Zita, have enjoyed great success with the mare Steam Washed, first on the track where she had 20 wins earning $283,000 in stakes. Then as a broodmare producing six foals, all of which had won, with another two still to come.
Coming from gate four on Saturday, Drury was able to angle into one-out, one-back early behind a good speed.
“I was really happy in the run,” Drury said.
“I probably went a bit too early, but she was travelling so well.
“She is a good mare and should have an excellent preparation.”
Impressive four-year-old Bay Jim Major overcame a poor draw to win the Kevin & Kay Seymour Pace (1800m).
Coming from gate four on the second row, Bay Jim Major ($2.60) raced three wide over the final lap but was too strong scoring by 3-1/2 metres from Don Arthur ($16) with Im All Business ($2.30 fav), a short half head away third, ending his winning streak of six.
Trained by Les Harding and driven by Danielle Hill, the winner has had a good career as a two, three and now four-year-old, winning 10 of his 24 starts.
- Story Graham Fischer
- Photo Walter Bulyga