Adelbert "Del" Cameron (1920-1979) was an American

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

driver. Cameron was voted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1974. Cameron was born in

Harvard, Massachusetts Harvard is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is located 25 miles west-northwest of Boston, in eastern Massachusetts. It is mostly bounded by I-495 to the east and Route 2 to the north. A farming community se ...

. Cameron along with his wife and two sons moved to

Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst, officially The Village of Pinehurst, is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,581, up from 13,124 in 2010 United States census, 2010. "Pinehur ...

in 1944 where he would spend winters training horses for over 30 years. Cameron drove three horses, Newport Dream in 1954, Egyptian Candor in 1965, and Speedy Streak in 1967 to victories in the

Hambletonian Stakes The Hambletonian Stakes is a major American harness race for three-year-old trotting horses, named in honor of Hambletonian 10, a foundation sire of the Standardbred horse breed, also known as the "Father of the American Trotter." The fir ...

, one of the three legs of the

Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters In the United States, the Trotting Triple Crown is a series of three major harness races for three-year-old Standardbred trotters. It consists of the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot, and the Kentucky Futurity. It was inaugurated in 1955 with th ...

. Newport Dream was lame with a mystery ailment in its left foreleg at the time of his Hambletonian win. In addition to his Hambletonian wins, Cameron drove Forbes Chief in 1947 and Tar Heel in 1951 to victories in the Little Brown Jug, one of the three legs of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. Del Cameron won 1,358 races and more than $4.7 million in purses over his career. Harness racing driver/trainer and 2016 Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Nickells, worked two years for Cameron as a second trainer. Another Hall of Famer,

Stanley Dancer Stanley Franklin Dancer (July 25, 1927 – September 8, 2005) was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was the only horseman to drive and train three Triple Crowns in horse racing. In total, he drove 23 Triple Crown winners. He ...

, was given his first Hambletonian drive by Cameron in 1953. Cameron once said it took longer to train an owner than it did a horse. Cameron died of a heart attack in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

on May 25, 1979.Famed harness driver dies of heart attack
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Del 1920 births 1979 deaths American harness racing drivers United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Harvard, Massachusetts People from Pinehurst, North Carolina Sportspeople from Worcester County, Massachusetts Sportspeople from North Carolina 20th-century American sportsmen