Invermay trainer Stan Cameron has been "mucking around" with horses since the 1970s, but is yet to taste victory at the elite level.

However, his evergreen squaregaiter Savannah Jay Jay (pictured) could deliver that long-awaited Group 1 success in this Saturday night's Schweppes Australasian Trotting Championship (2760m) at Tabcorp Park Melton.

Cameron's charge is one of the main fancies for the race, with Savannah Jay Jay in career-best form heading into the $50,000 feature.

He has scored decisive wins in his past two Group 3 assignments and has drawn favourably in barrier two for the weekend's race.

With regular reinsman Neil McCallum on the sidelines through injury, young James Herbertson has been at the controls for those recent wins and has been booked to drive once again.

"He's drawn well and he can run over that journey, but he's got to have a little bit of a cover up in the centre somewhere," the 73-year-old Cameron said of Savannah Jay Jay.

"He should come home alright. If things went his way he'd be in (the finish), but there's some other lovely horses - that's the thing."

A powerful turn of foot has been a hallmark of Savannah Jay Jay's recent wins and Cameron revealed the possible secret behind that burst of speed.

"For that 300m-400m he can really turn it on and that's the way I've always tried to train him. He's just a natural little goer," Cameron said.

"I've got a little track - it's only 340m I think - but it's got a good hill in it.

"I go around the track and hit that straight. I sprint him up there all the time. I've been doing it from day one.

"When he goes around that, it's 'hang on' I can tell you!"

Owned and bred by Cameron's son Scott, Savannah Jay Jay is one of only two horses in work at the Invermay stable.

The son of Armbro Invasion has now had 114 career starts for 14 wins and collected more than $200,000 in prizemoney. McCallum has been in the sulky for 109 of those runs.

The Schweppes Australasian Trotting Championship is one of four Group 1 races on the bumper 11-race card at Tabcorp Park Melton.

Other features include two Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic Finals (two-year-old trotting fillies and two-year-old trotting colts and geldings) and the Benstud Queen Of The Pacific.

 

Photo: James Herbertson and Savannah Jay Jay win at Tabcorp Park Melton. (By Stuart McCormick)