Mario Gussago joins Sumbe

After four years with the bloodstock team at Arqana, Mario Gussago has this week joined Sumbe as nominations and racing manager.

The Italian native previously had a long stint in Newmarket, spending five years with Marco Botti as travelling head lad and another three as second assistant to Roger Varian.

“I never wanted to train so I was looking to work on the other side and I am so grateful to Arqana,“ says Gussago. “They've been so good to me, and not many other people would have given me this opportunity. Freddy [Powell], Ludo [Cornuel] and Eric [Hoyeau] took a chance on me and invested much time in teaching me the ropes. I know that I have been a lucky person to have been put in this position and thanks to them I have a new opportunity B I am very conscious of that.“ Gussago worked his final day at Arqana at the company's breeze-up sale before starting his new role with Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe on May 19.

“It was a very pleasant surprise to receive a phone call from Tony Fry, and then I met with Nurlan Bizakov and they offered me a job,“ he says. “I knew the Sumbe team as I spent some days racing with them when I was at Roger's and then when I came over here that was roughly the same time that they bought the two studs in France, and now they are full on with five stallions and plenty of mares.“

Those five stallions who now fall under Gussago's remit are Charyn, Mishriff, Angel Bleu, Golden Horde, and Bizakov's homebred Belbek.

He continues, “I must admit that it is a dream job as I love going racing, but I will also still be very involved with the bloodstock side, dealing with the horses in training and our sales consignments in the July and autumn sales. Last December Sumbe had a big draft at the [Arqana] sale.

“And then during the season there will be the nominations, so there will be a bit of everything. I'll also team up with Tony to have a look at the horses at the yearling sales. I loved doing that when I was working for Roger.“ Sumbe is continuing its flagship sponsorship of the Prix Morny card during Deauville's August meeting, having taken over from Darley in 2023 in a five-year deal.

“I couldn't ask for a better moment to join the team, especially with Charyn as our new flagship stallion,“ says Gussago, who grew up near Milan without a racing background, despite his best friend being the former amateur rider and now French-based Classic-winning trainer Mario Baratti.

“We grew up together. Our grandfathers were best friends so in a way it felt like destiny,“ he says.

“I went to university and didn't know what to do so I went to learn English in England and Mario was working for Marco Botti and they were looking for staff. I started mucking out and then travelling horses for him and now 12 years down the line here I am.“

TDN 21/05/25