Matt Cameron, one of New Zealand’s best jockeys, says he has made huge lifestyle changes that will keep him on the right track when he returns to the saddle today after a nine-month drug disqualification.

Cameron will ride publicly for the first time in nearly a year at the Avondale trials, having served his disqualification for testing positive for cocaine last year.

The 38-year-old was randomly drug-tested at the Rotorua races on July 3 last year and found to have the drug in his system, which he told Racing Integrity Board investigators may have been put in a drink he consumed at a party a few days before.

It was Cameron’s second major offence in three years after he was disqualified from racing for two years in 2022 after being found guilty of a male-on-male sexual assault charge following a drunken incident in a horse truck in July 2021.

Cameron admits that after the two unrelated incidents, he needed to make changes in his life or risk losing the opportunity to be involved in racing.

He didn’t hide from the facts of his cocaine positive in a letter written to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s licensing panel, seeking to be granted a return to race riding.

“First and foremost, I want to take full responsibility for the events that led to my disqualification,” Cameron wrote.

“I deeply regret consuming cocaine, and I fully acknowledge the consequences of that choice, not just for myself, but for those who support and believe in me.

“I cannot express enough remorse for the situation I put myself in, and for the impact it may have had on the integrity of our sport.”

Cameron says he has undergone counselling to understand and control the issues behind some of his behaviour.

“Since my disqualification, I have taken active steps to better understand and address the root causes of my behaviour,” Cameron wrote.

“I have been seeing a therapist and this has been a life-changing experience. Our work has helped me identify long-standing issues I’ve carried with me throughout my career.

“Being a jockey comes with many incredible moments, but also a lot of pressure, criticism and judgment.

“In the past, I didn’t always have healthy ways to cope with those pressures, and I often turned to alcohol as a form of escape.

“Through therapy, I’ve gained control over those mental challenges, particularly around the fear of failure and the relentless demands of the industry.

“I now have strategies in place to manage stress and protect my wellbeing, and I continue to see my counsellor fortnightly.

“These sessions have become a vital part of my life, and I intend to continue them indefinitely.”

Cameron says he does not take recreational drugs anymore and has moved cities to help maintain his discipline.

“I can confirm that I do not use recreational drugs and have made permanent changes in my lifestyle to ensure I stay on a positive and healthy path.

“Part of that change has involved removing myself from environments that I believe were contributing to poor mental health.

“I’ve chosen not to live in Cambridge or Matamata, where I felt surrounded by a culture of rumours and innuendo that made it hard to separate my career from my personal life.

“After working through this with my therapist, I’ve made the decision to base myself in Auckland, which gives me the distance I need to maintain a healthier work-life balance.”

Cameron was back riding trackwork last week and says while he is fit and his weight is good, riding racehorses brings its own unique physical challenges.

“I was pretty sore the next day after being back at trackwork but I loved it,” he said.

“I know I have made mistakes but I am working on getting things right and I want to get out there and show people I can still be a top jockey.

“So after a couple of trials meetings, I am confident I will be ready for race riding and should be back in a few weeks, with Sam Durrant acting as my manager.”

Cameron has ridden 1485 winners in New Zealand, with 109 black-type successes, putting him among the elite in our jockeys’ ranks.

A busy jockey with an analytical mind, Cameron will further strengthen the northern jockey ranks that have already seen the return of Samantha Collett from Queensland and will soon see champion jockey Opie Bosson back race riding.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.