Sport
8 January, 2026
Gut instinct guides Cameron to Halls Gap Cup glory
Local jockey Tayla Cameron won the Lakeside Tourist Park Halls Gap Cup with a brilliant ride aboard Montjeuify.
Jumping out of the gates slowly, Cameron had two options: either ride at the back or move to a forward position. She chose the latter, and spent the race three-wide without cover, and despite being challenged by Arizona Activist, Montjeuify boxed on to win in a photo finish. Jamesjohno finished third.
Cameron, who lives in Horsham, started out working for Paul Preusker and then moved to work for local Andrew Bobbin at Grampians Racing. Bobbin didn’t have a ride for her, so she rode for Ballarat trainer Matt Cumani.
The Cup was Cameron’s only run for the day, and having only started racing recently, it was her first win.
“Matt’s instructions were that the horse goes best if left alone, and I watched the replays and picked them apart,” Cameron said.
“In the races he has gone forward, he has stuck on and given it a real go, so when I came out of the barriers, it was a limbo moment.
“I either needed to move forward and try to come in for cover, or annoy the horse and ease back. I made the call and trusted my gut to try and squeeze in to get cover.
“I didn’t get cover, but it was only a 1300m race, and with four kilos off, he looked a good honest horse, and I made the decision to go for it, and it paid off.”
“I have pulled this race apart a million times about things I could have done better, and I’m just grateful it worked out the way it did. I am extremely grateful to Matt Cumani for giving me a chance on an older horse.”
When Cameron crossed the line, she did not know if she had won, and recalled the moment.
“I remember pulling up, and Jack Hill asked if I got it, and I said I didn’t know,” she said.
“I got back to the laneway to return to the mountain yard, and I saw that I got it, and everyone was cheering.
“It’s pretty cool that my first win was in the Halls Gap Cup. It was awesome. Any win is an achievement.”
“I have always been encouraged by everyone that if I grind away and be persistent, then the results will come, and it did. I am stoked.”
Cameron was grateful to Preusker for giving her an opportunity.
“I moved over here with my mum from South Australia, and I looked at a horse that Paul had for sale, and I test rode him, and ended up with a job,” Cameron said.
“Paul and Holly taught me everything and made me the rider I am.”
Her current boss, Andrew Bobbin, has helped her excel.
“Andrew has been really good. He has been a good support and kept me positive and kept my mind in the right space,” she said.
“He always said to me that the opportunities will come if I keep grinding away and keep working. The harder you work and see opportunity, you will get that opportunity, especially if you work hard.”
As for her future, Cameron is focused on ticking off little goals.
“I just want to tick little boxes and achieve goals that are achievable,” she said.
“Some are caught up in the big picture and fixate on that and forget the small steps and lose sight of the present.”
In other local results on the day, Andrew Bobbin’s horse, Cliste, finished third in race two.
