cam fella
Cam Fella was bred by Wilfred Cameron of Washington, Pennsylvania. He was owned, during his racing career, by Norman Clements, Norman Faulkner and later JEF's Standardbred Country Club.
One of the modern era's greatest racehorses, Cam Fella won 61 of 80 starts. The son of Most Happy Fella and Nan Cam by Bret Hanover, at three, won 28 of 33 starts and was voted 1982 Horse of the Year. He was Canadian Horse of the Year in 1982 and 1983 and a Canadian Pacing Triple Crown holder. His major wins in 1982 included the Cane Pace, Messenger, Confederation Cup, Queen City Pace, New Faces, Hopeful and Prix d'Ete. At four, Cam Fella won 30 of 36 starts, including the U.S. Pacing Championship, Driscoll, Graduate, Canadian Pacing Derby and American-National Maturity. He completed his career with a record 28 consecutive wins. He was again named Horse of the Year. During his racing days, Cam Fella was known fondly as "the Pacing Machine." He retired from racing as the leading moneywinning racehorse, with North American earnings of $2,041,367.
Although a ridgeling, Cam Fella was a standout sire. His breeding career was spent at Dreamaire Stud and Stonegate Farm, New Jersey, where he sired five pacers that won more than $2 million, headed by Presidential Ball p,3,1:50 ($3,021,363). His other leading moneywinners are 1991 Horse of the Year Precious Bunny p,3,1:49.4 ($2,281,142), 1994 Horse of the Year Cam's Card Shark p,3,1:50 ($2,498,204), Camtastic p,4,T1:49.3 ($2,117,619) and Goalie Jeff p,3,1:51.2 ($2,003,439). His creditys also include nine other pacers with earnings in excess of $1 million: Eternal Camnation, Village Connection, Village Jiffy, Cambest 4,T1:46.1 (the fastest Standardbred of all time), Ellamony, Carlsbad Cam, Pacific Fella, Armbro Operative and Cam Luck. In all, Cam Fella sired 1,002 foals with earnings in excess of $94.5 million.
Testicular cancer ended his breeding career in 1996, whereupon he entered the Kentucky Horse Park's Stable of Champions as the Standardbred representative. There he spent his last days, dying on May 9, 2001 at the age of twenty-two.
Cam Fella is a member of the Canadian Harness Racing Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1998.
Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's "The 2001 Immortals" (2002)