Speedy Streak - 1967
Speedy Streak: Cameron Wins Third Hambletonian Del Cameron joined select company in 1967 as he won his third Hambletonian stake with the sore-footed Speedy Streak. Speedy Streak was the most expensive yearling (he cost $113,000) ever to grace the Hambletonian winner’s enclosure and he was a full brother to 1963 winner, Speedy Scot. Speedy Streak was trained by Frank Ervin, who also trained 1966 winner Kerry Way. But because of illness, Ervin was unable to drive Speedy Streak and asked Cameron, one of the craftiest drivers of the time, to handle Speedy Streak. Speedy Streak had soundness problems in that he was bothered by sore hooves, which robbed him of speed. Furthermore, it complicated the intense training needed to prepare for the Hambletonian. It is one of the crowning achievements of Frank Ervin’s career that he was able to direct the training of the Speed-ster colt to overcome the soundness problems and yet reach a competitive peak at just the right time. Keystone Probe was second and third in the two heats, while Speedy Streak’s stablemate, Speed Model, was second in the final heat.
A full brother to the 1963 winner Speedy Scot, Speedy Streak was the most expensive yearling of 1965, hammered down at $113,000 ($589, 752 in 1999 dollars). Speedy Scot and Speedy Streak's dam, Scotch Love, is by Victory Song, runner-up in the 1946 race. Father and son owners Clarence and John Gaines, and trainer Frank Ervin won back-to-back Hambletonians. Ervin had been hospitalized for surgery, so the responsibilities of the day fell to his assistant Art Hult. Hult not only oversaw the preparation of the winner, but drove the stable's other entry, the filly Speed Model, to a second place finish in the final and third money overall.
