Local trainer Kevin Musso has extended his lead to 14 in the “Licence to Train” category in the new Seddon Trainers’ championship.
Musso, who trains at Richmond Park at Nelson, has 35 points, helped by two fourth placings by Buddy Reign at Waterlea Raceway in Blenheim on Friday and Sunday.
He is well clear of Blenheim trainers Kendra and Mark Gill who won with Amarla on Friday. They have 21 points.
It was Kendra Gill’s first success in what is her second season training in partnership with her grandfather.
Robert and Jenna Dunn have a 59-point lead in the “Public Trainers” category. They have 169 points, with Mark Jones on 110, and Greg and Nina Hope rounding out the top three with 98.
There are just two race days left in the championship – Westport on March 10 and Reefton on March 12.
The championship, with a prize pool of $10,000 split between both licence categories, is designed to encourage trainers to race their horses in the top half of the South Island. It started at Kaikoura in late October 2022.
In all there will be eleven days of racing, with trainers needing to have starters at six of them to be eligible for the prizemoney.
Trainers receive two points for each race day they attend plus:
6 points for 1st
3 points for 2nd
2 points for 3rd
1 point for 4th.
An additional two bonus points will be allocated to the trainers of all starters in designated feature races – if a trainer starts more than one horse in a feature race they will receive two bonus points for each horse that starts.
The designated feature races are:
Alabar Kaikoura Cup
IRT Trotters Cup
Pulse Energy Westport Cup
Caltex Westport Cup
FT Dooley Kawatiri Cup
Rosco Contracting Reefton Cup
Inangahua Grey Valley Cup
Nelson Pine Industries Nelson Cup Classic
Nelson Pine Industries Nelson Cup
Marlborough Cup Prelude
Marlborough Cup
The 11 race days are:
Kaikoura Trotting Club, October 30 & 31
Westport Trotting Club, December 26 & 28, March 10 2023
Reefton Trotting Club, December 30, March 12 2023
Nelson Harness Racing Club, January 13 & 15 2023
Marlborough Harness Racing Club, January 20 and 22 2023
The prizemoney, which is funded by Harness Racing New Zealand and each of the Seddon Group Clubs, will be divided between public trainers and those who have a licence to train, with $3500 to the winners of each, $1000 to the runner-up and $500 to the third place-getter.
To see the leaderboard click here
