Harness Racing: Harness racing is in the blood for Daniel Missen

From a young age the Peel High School alumni knew where he wanted to go in his working career, and he has taken every opportunity that has opened up to him on that journey.

"I went to Peel High School - I enjoyed going to school and also working in the canteen at morning tea and lunchtime," Missen said.

"At the end of the day they would pay me $8.80 - just enough to buy a pie and a milkshake.

"Everyone knew at school I was going to be a race announcer or work in radio."

Having set his mind to it, Missen now enjoys the pleasure of working in both areas, firstly with FM88.9 in Tamworth and Sky Channel out of Sydney.

"The radio announcing came along and that helped brush up my skills. After I left school, I worked as an apprentice chef for two years plus calling the races and working on the radio," he said.

"I made the decision to leave being a Chef and went to work on the radio at 88.9."

The horse industry runs in Missen's blood, and little is known of the fact that he once graced the trotting track as a young driver in the mini trots with success.

"I didn't like it to start with," Missen said.

"Dad wanted me to be jockey when I was younger but I was way too tall.

"The mini trots were fun - I got 90 wins with my little mare Snowy [My First Star]. I enjoyed it but I never wanted to step up to the bigger horses."

The 25-year-old is the son of well-known Tamworth harness trainer, Tony Missen, and wife, Joy, who holds her reinswoman licence in harness racing and also has had success in the world of greyhound training.

"My dad was a jockey and then got into harness racing so I have always been involved in harness racing," Missen said.

"I think I was only a couple of days old when I attended my first harness meeting."

Having known from an early age which career he wished to follow, Missen laid his foundation down at an early age.

"I think from the age of five or six I started getting into racing in general. Mum had a couple of greyhounds and I went along to watch the dogs race and I looked up to the race caller and I thought I really want to give that a go - I really want to do that," he said.

"By the age of seven I was convinced and I just wanted to be a race caller.

"I got my first opportunity through well-known Tamworth race caller Bob Poetschka - he gave me a go when I was about 10.

"They wanted a race caller at the Tamworth greyhounds and I thought 'bloody oath let's do it'.

"I called at the Tamworth, Coonabarabran and Armidale greyhounds so every weekend from there on I just practiced calling the greyhounds."

It was not long before Missen then progressed to the harness racing world at the age of 13.

"I did a couple of non-TAB meetings and my first chance was at an Inverell harness meeting when Greg Kachel was away, and then I commenced calling the trials at Tamworth of a Tuesday night," he said.

There is no doubt that Missen mapped out his aspirations at a young age and has kept working towards his career goals since.

"I had the ambition to work for Sky Channel by the time I was 25 - well I am 25 now and working for Sky Channel so it all came together really good," he said.

"I am working four or five days a week with Sky Channel on different jobs.

"Recently I called the The Gardens [greyhounds] at Newcastle on the Friday and Saturday nights then travelled home to Tamworth and then out to call the Narrabri harness meeting on the Sunday.

"It was then back to the French's Forrest studio to call greyhounds and races at Mount Gambier and Broken Hill.

"You can add in a Gunnedah greyhound meeting and calling the barrier trials at the Scone gallops."

Newcastle greyhounds on the Saturday night and then Narrabri calling the trots would seem like an impossible task for some, but not Missen.

"I arrived home at 2.30 in the morning and then hitched a ride out with Dad as he had a runner at the Narrabri meeting, so it worked out well," he said.

One could say that the 'Boy from the Bush' is starting to fire.

"I am enjoying it," Missen said.

"I think Mum and Dad are proud of me - they always knew that I wanted to be a race caller - it was just a case of getting my foot in the door and taking off.

"I have been lucky to be at the right spot at the right time. When Greg Kachel retired that opened up a position for me in the north west.

"Harness Racing is my favourite - I know the people and I know the race colours - I have been around them since I was a child."

With a lifetime of experience under his belt, Missen grew up listening to many of the great callers - but there is one in particular he hopes to emulate.

"I aspire to be like Terry Spargo in Queensland - he has called some of the biggest races in the world like the Dubai Cup. I have always looked up to Terry along with listening to other callers - you hear a splash of everyone coming out in my calls," Missen said.

It is clear that Missen is meant for race calling, and he takes his craft seriously - to the point of even scrutinising his own calls.

"When you call the wrong horse name in a race you lose sleep over it, you really do. You go home and think 'Why did I do that?'" he said.

"Photo finishes are the hardest thing - sometimes you are so sure that that a horse has won and then you look at the photo finish and think 'Why did I call that one?'

"If it is a really close finish, I stay right out of it. I have learnt my lesson too many times."

Away from the race calling, Missen has also learnt to handle the technological side of operations.

"I was very lucky to get a start in Sky Sports Radio and have done a couple of shifts there in the studio at Frenchs Forrest. I had the radio experience and the boss watched me a couple of shifts over Christmas and he was happy for me to have a go and now I have done a couple of weekend shifts," he said.

"I really enjoy being the studio coordinating on-air presenter. If that came up as full-time position, I would consider doing that as well."

There is no down time for Missen, and that's the way he likes it.

"I am constantly working at the moment - I am still in the career mode - I have got plenty of time to settle down. I am only home a couple of nights a week and I love it," he said.

"If there was an opportunity to move to a region that is fine - I am open to anything - I know what I want to do and I hope I can continue to do it from where I want to be."

Missen is the consummate professional when he calls horses trained by his father Tony at the paceway, and he most recently called his mother Joy as a reinswoman.

"Good on her and it is good to see," Missen said of his mother deciding to take out her reins licence. "It is a real racing family now."

While he is often "a bit nervous" when calling his own family, Missen said he has learned over the years to "treat it like any other race".

"Dad got a winner at the Narrabri meeting that I called and it was just like calling another winner - I don't want to show a conflict of interest," he said.

As long as the passion remains, every day is a winner for Missen.

"I think because I have the passion for it, it is easy," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: