Sixth training success in 30 years savoured by local trainer

Despite having held a license to train horses on and off for close to 30 years, Kevin Musso is not a name familiar to casual followers of harness racing in New Zealand.

The Richmond horseman has enjoyed quietly chipping away with a small team of horses in the sunshine capital of New Zealand, and with limited success, Musso commented he doesn’t receive many phone calls from journalists seeking out a story.

Mind you, having trained his fifth winner on his home track with a horse he bred and races with family members, he seemed only too happy to oblige in sharing his success with Harnesslink followers this morning.

“I was just sitting here in the boxes after mucking out and thought I better give this number a ring back,” he quipped.

At a meeting dominated by the Canterbury raiders, Musso was the only local from the Tasman region to experience success across the two-day Nelson carnival when his five-year-old son of Sportswriter, Melando Chief was victorious in the first race on Sunday (Jan. 15) by the barest of margins.

The gritty second day win franked a tough a run on the first day where Melando Chief was forced to sit without cover for the majority of the journey but yielded little ground in finishing second, succumbing to the Tom Bagrie trained Treasure Trail who had been sitting pretty in the trail.

Melando Chief and Kyle Cameron found themselves in the cheap seats once again on day two, however the pair fought bravely once again to withstand the challenge of a fast-finishing James Cagney and Gavin Smith.

“I was about thirty or fourty meters from the winning post, and I thought Gavin’s horse had got past him and won the race,” said Musso.

“Funnily enough, Kyle and Gavin were chatting to each other as they returned to scale and they both were of the impression James Cagney had won, and I think Gavin even saluted the judge coming into the birdcage,” he laughed.

Melando Chief was a 28-start maiden when he lined up on Day One of the Nelson Carnival, but arrived in career best form having raced with distinction on the West Coast circuit where he ran in the money on all three days.

Beaten a head and a half head into second at both Westport assignments, Musso and his charge could have been forgiven for being somewhat confident that a breakthrough win was not too far away.

“When you’ve trained as many winners as I have mate, you are never confident,” he laughed.

“I was chuffed mate, really pleased. He has been knocking on the door for a wee while, so we were thrilled with him. He’s just a nice horse who tries hard so to do it on the home track, we were absolutely delighted with the result.

“I was confident he would go well, but I was never confident he would win. He’s fit having had that racing down the West Coast circuit and while I was a little concerned when he was left parked again like he was on the first day, he’s well within himself and even now is eating up and drinking as you would hope so he is clearly a happy horse who is in the zone,” he said.

MELANDO CHIEF REPLAY

Making the win even more special was the fact that Musso bred and races the gelding with his wife and kids.

“The ownership is my wife Debbie, and our son and daughter, Sharnae and Shanon. They both work in the mines in Western Australia. They work night shift, but both broke their sleep to watch the races on their phones. We have a lot of friends here though and they were just as delighted as we were to see him win,” he said.

Musso bred Melando Chief from a mare who provided him with his second career training success in Melando Babe. The daughter of Union Guy won just the sole race at Blenheim back in 2008 and has been lightly tried as a broodmare producing just the two foals, one of whom was the winner on the weekend.

“I bred from her after purchasing the dam from a dispersal sale at Spreydon Lodge in partnership with some friends. They asked whether we would like the mare or the foal at foot, so we took Melando Babe (filly foal) and went our own ways. She was always a nice upstanding mare and was pretty tough in her races despite only winning one race,” he said.

Unlike Sunday, Musso was not on hand to see Melando Babe winning at Blenheim in what was his first training success since he cleared maidens himself back in 1993.

“The time she won at Waterlea (Blenheim), she actually knocked me out on the first day through no fault of her own. She was in season and while I was putting the hobbles on, she saw a horse through the box next door and lashed out at it, and I ducked to get out the way and smacked my head against the wall. I ended up in hospital and didn’t see her go round that day, but she came out and won the second day, so that was all good,” he laughed.

“Her foal (Melando Chief) has always been a nice horse, he’s lovely to work around and gets a little bit wound up, but only at the races. I’ve just been out to the Nelson track this morning and worked him around with Buddy Reign on the lead, and he’s lovely to do anything with. He’s always showed a little bit of ability, just like his mother did really, she showed a bit early on and I always liked her and always believed she would leave a nice foal, but she had a paddock accident and that’s why we haven’t bred another one from her,” he said.

MELANDO BABE REPLAY

Upon reflection at the Richmond Park boxes, Musso made special mention of his wife Debbie whom he credits as being his brilliant partner in both life and working the horses as the unofficial stable hand of Team Musso.

The pair moved to the Nelson region coming up six years ago with designs on enjoying a quieter life together, with Musso having formerly worked in the torrid environment of the mining industry on a fly in, fly out basis.

Musso is one of a handful of trainers to inhabit the local Richmond Park training complex, working a team of no more than three horses throughout the year.

Having held a license to train horses coming up thirty years, the former mines worker seems content chipping away in the sunshine capital of New Zealand, with the nature of his former life a driving force behind both his location and the desire to keep his team of horses at a minimum.

“I don’t want to bog myself down too much after working in Australia doing two weeks on two weeks off driving Iron Ore trains with lots of coming and going. Debbie and I have a bit of time to make up with just being together and enjoying life and I want to keep it like that,” he said.

“I was in Fernside most of my life and we have been here about five or six years now. Debbie and I had always said we would retire to Nelson; her family are from up here and my Mum’s family are from up this way, so we have lots of family ties to the region and have spent a fair bit of time up here over the years.

“It’s an absolutely lovely place to train a horse, especially the weather and the climate. The only thing is you have to be able to put up with the travelling. We adjust too it. When we were at Fernside, we could have workouts down the road at Rangiora every week and that made it easier for a guy like me who only trains a couple to give them some competition with other horses around. Up here we have trials, but our trials are basically what we do during the week because we all work in together anyway,” he said.

With a mandate on keeping the numbers light, Musso has just the two horses in work with Melando Chief and Buddy Reign the pair in question. Musso recently sold another pacer he bred and trained, Sonic Reign, part way through the 2021 season.

“Sonic Reign going 1:53.9 up here at Nelson helps the breed a wee bit and I’ve always like the ‘Reign’ breed, they are nice to do anything with and intelligent horses.

“We also have Flossy Reign who actually ran a slasher in her first start at Westport in her first start 12 months ago, but she went a miss on me, and I’ve been hard pressed to get her back again. I’ve got my fingers crossed that she’s not far away from being right and going to the trials.

“We also have another Mach Three mare and full sister in Dixie Reign who won a handful of races at stud, and she has just had a filly foal before Christmas by Vincent,” he said.

With the second leg of the Tasman circuit kicking off this Friday, Musso is looking forward to getting over to Waterlea and seeing if he can’t achieve a rare second win in the same calendar season.

“We are away on Thursday down to Blenheim, and both the boys the way they are going I think they will be good chances down there. It will be a step up for Melando Chief, but I think he will still be competitive the way he is racing at the moment,” he said.

For complete Nelson results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink