Steve Jones is on a long list of generational participants in harness racing. His father, Hall of Famer Hal Jones, started Cameo Hills Farm in 1982 and Steve has gone on to run and expand the operation along with his wife and sons.  With a broodmare band over 50 at the farm in New York and a strong presence as a stallion share owner, Jones has developed a winning profile  that has produced a number of champions in New York and on the Grand Circuit.  In the weeks between the Goshen Yearling Sale and Lexington Selected Sale, Jones took the time to discuss his journey in the sport and what the future has in store for Cameo Hills Farm. How did you get started in harness racing? My father was a manager of large farms growing up. He started out at Pickwick Farms in Ohio in the 50s and 60s. Then he became manager of Blue Chip Farm, then Hanover Shoe Farm after that, then he worked for Alan Levitt when he had Lana Lobell Farm. By the time I got out of college he was able to buy a place of his own so I went to work for him. The original property was 118 acres and there was no buildings or sheds or roads. We started from scratch and now it is 425 acres.  Your dad started Cameo Hills Farm in 1982. Was he concerned at the time that it wouldn't succeed? I don't think so. He had a lifetime of experience in the business and was very well respected. He had some luck with horses that he owned. The first horse he ever bought was a mare named Cameo Wick and that is what the farm is named after. He bought her when she was done racing for $800. Her first foal was a free-for-aller named Mike Pick. He raced against Meadow Skipper. Then years later when he was at Hanover he was able to buy a share of Albatross, so that was ultimately the seed money for the place.  Was the growth of the farm from 118 acres to 425 the plan all along or a sign of its success? There was no real plan. Our farm was bordered right next to Lana Lobell and that farm went away. We bought several parcels that at one time were part of Lana Lobell in New York. The last 150 to 200 acres were not continuous. There wasn't much of a plan except that we've done well and have been able to get bigger and upgrade our broodmare band along with buying shares of successful stallions. His hard work paid off and I'm trying to follow in his footsteps.  How many broodmares do you currently have at Cameo Hills? Mid 50s. When you took a chance to stand and support So Surreal did you ever think it would work out as well as it did? No. It was more of a favor for Ray [Schnittker] -- we are friends -- than a vision that I had. We bought 55% of him when he went to stud. I sold a few shares to get other people involved in the horse. He's done very well and continues to do well. He won one of the [NYSS] finals last year and in 2019 won three of them. For New York and for a horse that is modestly priced, it is kind of odd to produce the success that he's had from where he started. If you look at all the farms and try to find one like him -- he only raced eight times -- I don't think you'll find one.  The early returns have also been good on Huntsville, with Just Divine recently becoming a NY Sire Stakes champion and Early Action/Max Contract having Grand Circuit success. Did you consider him more of a sure thing going in? Yeah, I just thought there was an opportunity in New York for a horse of that caliber. American Ideal is a very good stallion but he is older and won't be around forever. Huntsville had a lot of ability. He's great looking and is well-bred, so he had everything going for him. We are glad that we could buy a piece of him when he was done racing. The first couple of crops have been terrific, those fillies you mentioned, and he has a colt [Tickertape Hanover] that qualified for the Metro this weekend. I expected him to do well and so far he has. What kind of car do you drive? An older Mercedes convertible. I think it is a 2011. I like two-door cars because it is easier for me to get out of them. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? Porterhouse for two, hash browns, creamed spinach and a bottle of red wine. For snack, strawberries and fresh tomatoes.  What is your favorite track to visit?  The Meadowlands for a big day of racing or The Red Mile in the fall.  What is your favorite big event in racing? Why? I've been to the Prix d'Amerique and the Elitlopp but I'd probably pick the Hambletonian. I'd like to get to PEI to see the Gold Cup & Saucer and to see the Delaney [Wales]. How often are horses or racing on your mind? All the time. What is your favorite thing to do outside of the sport? Play golf. I don't do it well but I do enjoy it.  ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter What is your favorite sport to watch? Team? Basketball or Golf. I always liked watching Phil Mickelson because he is a fellow lefty but he is over the hill at this point. As far as team sports, I've followed the Mets since I was a kid. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don't know? That I work pretty hard. Most people see me at the sales laughing and carrying on but mostly I'm at the farm working.  What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Excitement. What was your best moment in harness racing? When Pedigree Snob won the Sweetheart on Friday night, in 2008, and the next day Deweycheatumnhowe, who we bred, won the Hambletonian. That was a good weekend. You serve as a Trustee to the NY Breeding Development Fund, on the Board for the Hambletonian Society and as President of Goshen Historic Track. Are those positions a way to give back to the sport for you? Yeah. I started at Goshen Track. They originally wanted my father for the position. I was very young -- mid 20s -- and didn't know very much but he wasn't interested or too busy to do it so he pushed the job on me. Since then I seem to be accumulating those non-paying jobs. I'm the Vice President of the Grand Circuit and a trustee for the Hall of Fame in addition to what you mentioned. I like to contribute if I can and sometimes it can be a pain but that is my little contribution. On the New York front, seeing as you also operate your farm in the state, do you think the Sire Stakes system, with some of the lowest finals purses in the sport, needs to be revamped? I don't think so. The Kentucky money that is out there right now, there is an additional $17 million that people are racing for. To me the divisions in Pennsylvania and New York are easier because of it. You have short fields and one division sometimes racing for good money. If we take money out of those to put money into one event where only the top five in one race get money and the rest get nothing. I don't see that as better. There is only so much money to go around. New York is also one of the few places where a leg at Batavia can go for $110,000 and you don't see that in other places. Maybe it is something that can be reconsidered and the finals can be $250,000 if that will make people feel better. To me it isn't that big of a deal.  We are talking a few days after the Goshen Yearling Sale where you had the sale-topper and the overall numbers were way up. Can we look at that as a sign for what's to come in Lexington and Harrisburg? I think so. The Thoroughbred sales are off to a good start as well and we usually follow what they do. The horses now are racing for more money and there is either the same number or fewer racing for it, so I don't know why the sales wouldn't be up. With all the short fields and big purses it makes sense that people would restock. You still have to have what they want. Last year we did and sold five horses for over $300,000. I don't think any farm did that, maybe Hanover Shoe Farm. You have to have quality stock and quality broodmares to do that. Speaking of Lexington, you have 25 horses selling. Can you give me the one that everyone will want and one that may go under the radar that people should take a second look at? There is a Huntsville sister to Just Divine [HIP 33 I'm In Heaven]. I can't imagine that she won't sell very well. There is also a Greenshoe sister to Instagram Model [HIP 24 All Green]. There is a Huntsville colt out of Yellow Diamond [HIP 221 Ready To Shine] and my guess is he is the nicest looking horse in the sale. That mare has had a few, some that were ok and some that weren't, but if there is a better looking individual than him in the sale I'd like to see it.  You currently run the farm with your wife Kathy. What does the future hold for Cameo Hills Farm say 10-20 years down the road? Both of my sons, my oldest Tyler and youngest Jake, they both work full-time here at the farm. They are learning the business and learning to work. They seem to like what they are doing, which is the most important thing. I've been doing this my whole life and I like what I do. There is hard work involved and certain times during the year there are things to deal with, but our broodmare band is good and getting better all the time so I think we should be here for a long time to come.  If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? Eliminate the silly Gural Rule. It is hurting the people who support the business and The Meadowlands the most. It has done nothing positive for the sport.  How do you view the future of harness racing? I'm optimistic about the future of the business and don't think it is going away. The experience of owning a good horse is something that you can't describe unless you've had one.  What does the sport do when the older generation is no longer around to buy horses? We may not know them yet but there are people one step younger than the older group who are buying, like Steve Heimbecker. There are people who are not 80 who are buying horses. I have been hearing gloom and doom about the business since the tax laws changed in the mid-80s. I was 25 then and I'm 62 now. There are people who want to own and race horses. Yes, it is a smaller business, fewer horses available and being bred, but the business is not going away. Time for the stretch drive: Best Horse you ever saw: Niatross the best pacer and Muscle Hill the best trotter. Best Driver Ever: John Campbell's résumé is sort of unmatched from a career standpoint. Of course he had tremendous opportunity to put it together with The Meadowlands opening up, but I don't think you could say one person stands above the rest. Bill O'Donnell, Tim Tetrick, Dexter Dunn; there are plenty of guys who are great. It is very subjective.  Best Trainer Ever: I think that Chuck Sylvester is pretty knowledgeable. I've seen what he has done with modestly-priced horses and in his prime he was the best. Lasix -- Yes or No?: I'm not really qualified to have an opinion on it but I would say yes. Favorite TV Show?: NYPD Blue. Trotters or Pacers?: I don't have a preference. One that can go fast.