EDWIN CAMERON WILL FINALLY BE TAKING A GOLD TROPHY BACK HOME.

BY TONYA RATLIFF-GARRISON, INTERNET MANAGER

Edwin Cameron has won three World Show trophies, but all silver. This year, he’s bringing home the gold.

Cameron and his 13-year-old gelding, The Money Merger, turned in the fastest time of 19.612 seconds in the senior pole bending finals on Sunday, November 6. It was the first world championship for both.

“I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “I had him here last year, and he was second in senior and amateur pole bending. I seemed like I was stuck in second for a while.”

Cameron was also the reserve world champion in senior poles in 2003 aboard Kitadan. He brought the 1997 gelding back this year, and they took home third place with a finish of 19.813 seconds.

Cameron and “Merger” were fourth in the draw. First in the finals, Gregory Chad Fentress and Long May You Run had already set the bar high with a 19.965. Cameron knew he and Merger would have to be perfect.

“I knew I had to go fast as I could and hope they stayed up,” he said.

“But It’s nice when you come here because you have to run as fast as you can. Sometimes when you go to the smaller shows, you get stuck in this safe mode where you know if you run a low 20, you’re going to win. So you back off. Then when you get down here and run against the big boys, sometimes it takes a little while to get back to the ride ‘em like you stole ‘em mode.”

Edwin Cameron and The Money Merger won the senior pole bending finals with a time of 19.612 seconds.

Cameron purchased Merger in 1998. The chestnut had been a racehorse with a speed index of 90 and a Register of Merit in racing. But giving the gelding a new career was not a problem.

“He took to the poles pretty good,” Cameron said.

Cameron, Merger and Kitadan traveled more than 2,500 miles from Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Oklahoma City. They left home October 11, traveling first to the Ontario Championships before heading to Columbus, Ohio, for the All American Quarter Horse Congress. From there they drove to the World Show.

“So it took me about three weeks to get here,” he said.

He and Merger run again on Monday, November 7, in the amateur poles. He hopes to add another gold trophy to the collection.

“That would really be nice,” he said with a smile.