Nothing gets Mike Cameron more excited than horse racing and it doesn’t get any better than the Kentucky Derby.
“I was a good college athlete and athletics put me through college,” Cameron said. “I love basketball, football, and baseball, but there is nothing more exciting than horse racing. Every single race comes right down to the wire. If your heart isn’t thumping when they come down that lane, you ain’t got one.”
Cameron, co-host of “The Big Show” with Matthew Laurence on WLXG 1300 AM, also serves as an owner, trainer, and breeder at the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, where he has worked for 30 years.
“I do it all in this business,” he said.
Cameron’s love for horses and the racing industry began at an early age and he has roots to 1943 Kentucky Derby winner Count Fleet, trained by a family ancestor, Don Cameron.
“My family has been in the horse business for years and years,” Cameron said. “My grandfather bred horses, my great-grandfather bred horses and we are Kentucky hard boots. I am a true hard boot.”
Cameron doesn’t have a formula when it comes to picking a Derby winner but knows what it takes for a horse to reach the winner’s circle.
“The biggest determining factor in a horse race is class,” Cameron said. “What I mean by class, is what kind of company have you been keeping? The company you have been keeping is what makes you a stronger candidate in a race. In this case, they’ve all been running against good horses, not the best in the world, but some of them have.”
In addition to the past success and failures of each horse, Cameron said speed and perseverance also is a key in the race considering the distance is a one-quarter mile, longer than the previous stakes and prep races each contender has encountered in the past.
“To this point none of these horses has run more than a mile in a race,” Cameron said. “That’s why you hear people talk about if he will be able to get the distance? The mile and a quarter is the best blend of speed and stamina. Only the fastest horses that can carry that speed for the longest distance become classic winners of the Kentucky Derby and great races like that.”
Cameron said trainers play a big role in the success of each contender and compares them to coaches in athletics.
“That’s what a lot of people don’t realize,” he said. “(A trainer) decides every aspect of that horse’s life. He decides what it’s going to eat, when it’s going to eat and how much it’s going to eat, what time they’re going to the race track in the morning and who is going to gallop the horse. The trainers run the show, that’s how important they are.”
Cameron added that post position also is important for the Derby contenders, especially considering most races feature at the most 12 competitors.
“The post positions are important in the Derby,” Cameron said. “You have such a huge field of 20 and various horses have different styles of running. Some horses like to jump out of the gate and get to the front end. Some horses like to stalk the pace, get in behind some of the speed and make a move at the end. Some like to fall out, relax and then they like to make one big sweeping turn and hope they can get there (to the finish line). That’s why post position is so important.”
Ultimately, Cameron said speed determines which horse will come out on top in the “Run for the Roses.”
“How fast are you and are you fast enough to win?” Cameron said. “It’s all about the fastest horse.”
A year ago, Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah won the race en route to becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years and the 12th in history. Cameron said winning three races in such a short period of time is challenging.
“It’s not hard at all for the horses, but it’s been difficult to do,” Cameron said. “If you get a horse that can do that in a five-week period, those are super horses, they best that every lifted a bridle. That’s why there’s only been 12 of them in 142 years.”
Although a rare feat, Cameron hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a second straight Triple Crown winner this year. The early possibilities include Nyquist, Gun Runner and Exaggerator.
“There’s a possibility but there’s always a possibility every year and it will all play out in a couple of weeks,” Cameron said.
Cameron sees similarities between American Pharoah and Nyquist. Both horses were undefeated in stakes and prep races prior to the first leg of the Triple Crown.
“He was 2-year-old champion, same as American Pharaoh two years before,” he said. “They are very much similar. There is a possibility there is a super horse in this race and it might not be him. The 3-year-old horses are really like teenagers. Some of these horses might be just now starting to get mature and really good. It takes luck as much as anything because a horse has to stay sound for five solid weeks. It’s hard to do. It’s a very, very difficult thing to do. Do I expect to see another (Triple Crown winner) this year? No, I don’t, but if I see another one, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.”
No matter who comes out on top in the 142nd running of the race Saturday at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby remains one of the most famous and prestigious events on the planet.
“The Kentucky Derby is maybe one of the Top 10 and maybe Top 5 sporting events in the world,” Cameron said. “It’s right here in our state. This is a world-wide affair. There are many thousands and maybe millions of people in this world that can name you every Kentucky Derby winner.”
Another name will be added to the prestigious list of winners this weekend.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter