In 2023, Thoroughbred Industry Careers in partnership with Pony Club Australia launched a National Pony Racing Series, consisting of six state qualifying race days (with two pony size categories) which culminated into The Finals which were held in Sydney during the 2024 Autumn Racing Carnival.
For the 2024/25 season we will be expanding the program to include ‘Jumpstart Weekends’ which will consist of a two-day event open to Pony Club Australia members of ALL ages and ANY size pony or horse! Whether you’re new to pony racing or simply want to improve your skills, this is where your journey begins.
DATES FOR THE 2024/25 SEASON are open – please follow our social media to enter.
THE EXPLORER CADETSHIP
CURRENTLY ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE – Due to the closure of the Equine Section of Richmond TAFE, our training programs are currently without a training facility, please follow our social media for updates.
The Explorer Cadetship is the ultimate 12-month entry pathway into the Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing Industry. This program is the only one of its kind in Australia, and it gives you the best opportunity to build a successful career. Find out more details here!
Click here to download a brochure!
Click here to learn more
Becoming a trick rider as a teen fuelled Bridie’s love of horses, which she has turned into a successful career running Strawberry Hill Stud.
A few lessons in resilience from saddle-bronc riding has guided Julian Blaxland to a successful career as a Bloodstock Agent.
Hard work and loyalty led to Adrian Bott entering a training partnership with Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse in 2016
"You can either backpack around the world, or you can literally fly with the horses!" - and to an exceptional television career like Lizzie Jelfs
Discovering the “big bucks” flowing for yearlings at a horse sale encouraged future auctioneer Clint Donovan to investigate the bloodstock industry.
A fascination with the biomechanics of the thoroughbred racehorse drew Edwina Palmer into a career as a veterinarian.
28 January 2025 2025 PONY RACING UPCOMING DATES SHETLAND RACING, NEW SOUTH WALES Sunday 9th February 2025 – Jump Start Training Day: Canterbury Park Racecourse https://pca.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/public/EventsAndBookingsPublic/details/F0D728B16EEC58B9566BA7FDF2C6F319ED6E25F6/ Friday 28th February 2025 –
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Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) and Pony Club Australia (PCA) are proud to launch the second season of the National Pony Racing Series, this time with a new initiative that
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YOUNG riders from five states across Australia are set to compete at Royal Randwick on All Aged Stakes Day, Saturday 20th April 2024, as the inaugural season of the National Pony Racing Series
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TIC and PCA Announce New Shetland Race TIC in partnership with Pony Club Australia and Moonee Valley Racing Club are excited to announce that it will be holding an Exhibition
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Warwick Farm Next Stop for Pony Racing on Inglis Australia Day Raceday Warwick Farm, Friday, January 26 The inaugural National Pony Racing Series is full steam ahead to April’s Finals over
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Gold Coast Turf Club, Saturday, January 6 2024 The National Pony Racing Series moves to the Gold Coast this weekend giving racing fans across the country another opportunity to witness
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The second leg of the National Pony Racing Series is set down for this Friday night, October 27, at The Valley, where some of Victoria’s best junior riders will showcase
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Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) has teamed up with Pony Club Australia (PCA) to launch a National Pony Racing Series, which is scheduled to kick off in Brisbane next month and
.. moreGrace McBeath | BASET BASET provides a huge opportunity for Thoroughbred Industry Careers graduate. BASET (The Britain-Australia Society Education Trust) is delighted to announce the launch of a new BASET
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Dylan Parrott grew up loving racing but didn’t have an extensive hands-on background with horses. He applied for the 2022 Explorer Program to get the practical experience and industry knowledge
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On his way to compete in the inaugural Scone Pony Race, 11-year-old Nikko Anderson received a fateful good luck from none other than Hugh Bowman, the jockey of Australia’s
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For Immediate Release – 11 March 2022 Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) is proud to announce that the next Exhibition Pony Race, held in conjunction with Pony Club Australia (PCA), will
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23 February 2022 For Immediate Release Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) is excited to announce that an exhibition pony race will open the card on a big day of racing at Murray
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Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC), Pony Club Australia, and the Australian Turf Club will hold an exhibition Pony Race as part of Australia Day celebrations at the public holiday Warwick Farm meeting on Wednesday 26 January 2022. The Pony Race brings young
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For Immediate Release Applications are now open for the Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) Explorer Cadetship for 2022, a 12-month program of stud and stable horsemanship and industry training. The Explorer
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The Lexus Melbourne Cup is heading to the North West Equestrian Expo supported by Thoroughbred Industry Careers in COONABARABRAN, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th June. This weekend, Thoroughbred Industry Careers
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A huge day yesterday celebrating our graduates from the August 2019 and February 2020 intake of the Explorer Cadetship Program, plus the riders who completed the inaugural Accelerator Program of
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POST FORUM COMMUNIQUE 30 April 2021 Australian Thoroughbred Workforce Development Forum The Australian Thoroughbred Workforce Development Forum was held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, on the 22nd and 23rd of April
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Are you employed in the thoroughbred industry or used to be? If so, we would like to know more about you if you could please take a few minutes to
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In a bid to continue building stronger links between the younger generation of horsemen and women and future career opportunities in the thoroughbred industry, Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) is proud
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Racing Australia (working with the Principal Racing Authorities nationally), Godolphin Australia and Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) have partnered to form a national Australian Thoroughbred Workforce Development Forum. Much work is
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Now that I’m back in Australia and have had time to reflect on what I learned during my time at Lane’s End, I thought I’d share what I felt were
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Media Release 23 February 2021 Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) is proud to announce it will continue its partnership with Pony Club Australia as the named sponsors of their National Championships, to
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For immediate release, Friday 5th February 2021 On February 8, 22 students from all states of Australia including remote areas of the Northern Territory and Queensland, will enter the 2021
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Written by Paul Vettise Attracting young people to the thoroughbred industry has long been a challenge and comments from Sydney trainers Chris Waller and Mark Newnham have again brought attention to
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Global Alliance Launches to Connect the World with the Racehorse Together for Racing International promotes education, community engagement, workforce development PRESS RELEASE, 20, Nov. 2020 – Together for Racing International
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Thankyou 7HorseRacing for covering the work we are doing to bridge that gap between those who love horses and careers in the breeding and racing industry. If watching the Spring Carnival
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Hawkesbury Race Club go above and beyond for us every week allowing our riders to utilise their beautiful track and facilities. Thank you so much for all that you do
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Big thank you to Champion jockey Rachel King for her recent mentoring session with our Accelerator’s. What an inspiring story, from jumps racing in England, to a two month trip
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The Accelerators got to spend today with one of the greatest jockeys in Australia’s history, Darren Beadman. Darren won 85 Group 1 races and was the youngest jockey ever to
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A few snaps from yesterday’s session. The road to becoming a trackrider is sometimes riding long, in the arena, and going back to core riding principles. Pony Club and EA
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Two of Australia’s best jockeys took time out of their busy schedule this week to kick off the Accelerator Program with a bang! Group One hoops Tommy Berry and Sam
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Cadet Taylor Turner is spending her stable placement with Godolphin where she’s learning just how much work goes into preparing a horse for a race. It’s led to Taylor getting to
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Thoroughbred Industry Careers is proud to continue its support of Australian Interschool Equestrian events as a major sponsor of the ‘2020 Pryde’s EasiFeed Interschool Queensland State Championships’, to be held in
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In today’s Meet the Cadet, we get to know Ellen Anderson. Currently completing her racing stable placement with Chris Waller Racing, her ultimate goal is to work in equine nutrition
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This week we’re introducing you to Cadet Jess Clouston, who is completing her stable placement with Jason Attard & Lucy Keegan Attard Racing – The A.K.A Partnership. Learn more about
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Cadet Nicholas Brown is currently spending his racing stable placement at Gai Waterhouse Racing where he has learned much about the behind-the-scenes action that goes on every day at the
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In our series featuring current and previous Explorer Cadetship cadets, we go back to our first intake. April Cooper graduated from the program earlier this year and currently works at
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Are you wondering how our current Cadets are doing while out on their work placements? Only a fan of the sport before starting the Explorer Cadetship Leigh Allen is currently
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The hunt is on for Australia’s most talented and bold horse riders to become the first intake of the ‘Accelerator Program’ – a 12-week intensive trackwork training course that will
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“It’s all been challenging, but I’ve been enjoying it a lot. Yes it’s long hours, yes it’s sometimes stressful, but you just get on with it, because it’s so rewarding.
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Taylor Smyth is currently on her stable placement for Mike Moroney – Ballymore Stables . We asked five quick questions to get some insight into her day. 1. What the
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Busy morning at Randwick trials this morning with the latest intake of Cadets out and about strapping, stewarding and riding.
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It wouldn’t be a horse farm if I didn’t mention the foals! As the season started to wind down with all the maidens in foal, I packed up my things
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My second month of Lane’s End went by very quickly! We were officially in the thick of the foaling season, and every 5 nights, I would be on call to
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As my first placement has come to an end, I honestly feel like I’m progressing well, which is amazing to see. It’s funny to think that in a little over
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There comes a point in everybody’s life where we have that sink or swim moment. That was the first thing that came into my head when I was standing outside
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Media Release – 13 February 2020 Twelve months ago, 22-year-old Jack Cripps was working in truck sales in rural Western Australia, on Saturday night he received the prestigious Chairman’s Award
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When Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky. reached out to Thoroughbred Industry Careers about offering a Cadet from Australia a year-long internship, Sophia Flight jumped at the chance to apply
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Part of our second intake of Cadets, Laura Gambling is currently completing a placement at Eureka Stud. They say find a job you love and you’ll never work a day
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The Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale is the mainstay for most bloodstock agents in the industry and will have been for many years. But there will be one person
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I never truly understood the phrase “Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” until I commenced my stable placement at Lindsay Park Racing.
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For avid racing fans, horses such as Makybe Diva, Winx, Black Caviar and So You Think are names that come into conversation more often than not when a discussion arises
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My placement at Evergreen Stud has been amazing and such an eye-opener, with so many different opportunities offered. I started my placement with the pre-trainers where my duties included strapping
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Craig Rounsefell has worked with a number of widely-respected Australian horsemen and international identities, household names in the racing and breeding world, and he’s made the best use of the
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Pony Club was an important stage on Hugh Bowman’s pathway to a championship career as a jockey and regular rider of world champion racemare Winx. The same is true of
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James Bester enjoys the richest of racing lives that has been shaped by a host of high-profile bloodstock identities across the thoroughbred world. He has learned all facets of the
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Working at Lindsay Park for my racing stable placement has easily been one of the best experiences of my life and I know it will only get better. Since starting,
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The racing flame was kindled early on for Bonnie Connellan and it has burned brightly ever since, fuelling a love and passion for the thoroughbred industry that has seen her
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Working for Lindsay Park Racing (LPR) at their Flemington Stables has been such a rewarding experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to be able to work
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Family came first in the race to ignite Bruce Slade’s passion for the thoroughbred and lit the touch paper to spark a thirst for racing knowledge and drive for breeding
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Working for Gai Waterhouse Racing for my work placement has been such an eye-opening experience that has already taught me so much in only a short time. Since being here,
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Only a few months after driving nearly seven hours to watch Winx’s fairy tale ending in her final race, 16-year-old Holly Turnbull wrote her own fairy tale when competing in
.. moreHundreds of High School students have a much greater awareness of career opportunities in the Thoroughbred industry following presentations by Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) during the North West Equestrian Expo in Coonabarabran
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Damon Gabbedy’s thoroughbred world has expanded to a truly global business and he’s forever grateful to the people that influenced his career as an international bloodstock agent. Never in his
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Mike Fleming honed his skills with an acknowledged master of the thoroughbred trade and mentor to many young Kiwis, Sir Patrick Hogan. The expatriate New Zealander also pays tribute to
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Horse racing has been one of my biggest passions ever since I was a little kid. But being born in Bundaberg and living there my whole life, I didn’t think
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Ron Quinton served a successful apprenticeship with a master tutor, but it was so much more than racing advice and instruction that was readily passed on and eagerly absorbed by
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Wow, what an experience I am having. From meeting the amazing big trainer Tony McEvoy to working for him, I have learned so much already within the three weeks of
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When Despacito crossed the line first as a longshot at Sandown Park last Wednesday, it was a big moment for the Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC) Explorer Cadetship Program. The 3-year-old
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Week two of my racing stable placement for the Explorer Cadetship program has been a very exciting and tiring week. I was lucky to get placed at McEvoy Mitchell Racing
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And so, it has begun. When I first arrived at the powerhouse known as Godolphin on a Sunday afternoon, for the first time in a long time I was quite
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With the first phase of the Cadetship behind them, Lauren Newman reflects on her experiences while also looking forward to her work placement. The Explorer Cadetship has taught me and
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As the Cadets get closer to taking on their first work placement, Ellie Morrison learned some valuable lessons about riding out on Week Eight when given a tougher mount and
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As the Cadets enter their final few weeks of the Boot Camp portion of the Cadetship, they are putting the final touches on the skills they’ve learned. For Courtney Foale
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Tom Simpson began his career as a human physiotherapist who decided he liked horses more than humans and has dedicated his life to ensuring their wellbeing. TDN: Tell us a bit
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The Bloodstock Manager and auctioneer at Magic Millions, Clint Donovan has spent years honing his craft and taking part in some of the most historic moments in the sales ring.
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TDN: Can you tell us a bit about your career in the Thoroughbred industry so far, how did you get to where you are today? Paige: I first started out at Glenlogan
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TDN: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get your start in the industry? Zoe: My first job in the Thoroughbred industry was at Wellfield Lodge in Palmerston
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TDN: Tell us a bit about yourselves, how long have you been photographers? Bronwen: Darren and I come from very different backgrounds. Our paths into the industry were very different,
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From learning about broodmare care to having to clock herself while galloping, Week 7 was a week full of learning for Kate Bell. In today’s blog, she shares a day-by-day
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It was a busy week for Cadet Samantha Melouney but included a day she’ll never forget thanks to Emma Guymer and Gai Waterhouse as she explores the many career options
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TDN: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the industry? Claudia: Cliché I know, but I’ve always had a passion for horses. When I was
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Wet weather didn’t put a damper on the Cadets’ sixth week of the program with riders practicing their skills in the indoor arena. Rider April Cooper tells us how they
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Rider Analiese Langer talks about what she learned during Week Five of the Cadetship and how one special ride on a horse was an unforgettable moment in the program. What
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Rider Sophia Flight isn’t just learning about the racing industry during the Explorer Cadetship but also making lifestyle changes thanks to help from the coaches. She explains what those changes
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The riders are finding a few challenges as they learn how trackwork is a different style of riding than they’ve done before. In this Week 3 blog, Lucy Jarjoura explains
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The Cadets had an exciting week last week when getting to do everything from taking horses to the track to talking with Hugh Bowman. Ethan Pincott takes us through a few
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After watching the races, you’ve decided you have a keen interest in helping horses live up to their potential and want to become a horse trainer. But’s not as easy
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Today we talk to Trackside TV presenter Emily Murphy about how she got into racing and what a day in her life entails. When I was growing up, I loved
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You’ve seen the photos of Winx or Black Caviar with their handlers as foals and now you’re hooked on the idea of working in a position like that. A job
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A veterinarian, Edwina Palmer spent time as a racing manager before taking the plunge to go back to vet school. In this blog, she walks us through a day in
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Today we talk to Lachlan Donnelly, farm manager of Misty Valley’s Greenfields Lodge farm in Capel, Western Australia. Misty Valley recently had a successful Magic Millions Perth Sale and have
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TDN: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the industry? Dane: I grew up in a family of horse men and women on the South
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TDN: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the industry? CM: Being asthmatic as a child, close proximity to most animals exacerbated my condition. This
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The starter for the Australian Turf Club, Dale Jeffs plays an important role in making sure races run fairly and smoothly on a daily basis. Here he tells us about
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TDN: Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the industry? Jock Harris: I started my career in the thoroughbred industry in my school years where I was
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TDN: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the industry? Jasmine: I have been obsessed with horses since I can remember. As soon as
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This week we had a chance to sit down with Josh Rix, Nominations Manager at Spendthrift Australia based in Melbourne. TDN: What is your background and how did you begin
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In 2011, Chris and his wife co-founded A1 Horse Transport, after more than 20 years of transporting their own horses regularly across Bass Strait. How long have you been transporting
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Sarah is Tony McEvoy’s travelling foreman, and is on the road with the horses whenever they go interstate. Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the
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Bronte has been riding since the age of three, and has followed her love of horses into a successful career at the heart of the industry. Tell us a bit
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Umut’s passion for horses led him from Turkey to Ireland and then Australia, where he is now the strapper for champion racehorse Winx. How did you decide to work in the horse racing industry?
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Matt’s grandfather instilled in him a love for racing, and from a young age he has honed his skills in calling races. Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you
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Gai Waterhouse Racing co-trainer Adrian Bott sits down with us to talk about life as a trainer in a Hall of Fame stable, and how he got the role. *
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The great thing about racing is that all careers allow you to travel the world. For example, you can spend the first part of the year foaling out mares in
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The best thing about getting started in horse racing is that you don’t need any qualifications to get started in the sport. Many people have come into the industry with
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There are many different ways to get your first job in the Thoroughbred industry. One way is to look on an equine employment site with many different stables and studs
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If you like watching sunrises and getting up early, racing is for you. No matter if you choose a farm job or a racetrack job, you will be getting to
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While there are some everyday tasks in racing that you will do individually, overall horse racing is very much a team sport. Just like other sports, each horse has a
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If you like enforcing rules and conducting investigations, being a steward is for you. Stewards are much like referees, travelling to race meeting to make sure rules of racing are
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While caring for racehorses may not get you the most attention of any job in the industry, it is one of the most important roles in addition to opening up
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The saying “no foot, no horse” is one of the truest sayings you’ll hear in horse racing. It’s because of the reliance of a good hoof on a racehorse that
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Ever since you took your first pet to the vet as a child and saw how she healed him, you’ve wanted to be a vet. But you’re not quite sure
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Champion Thoroughbreds’ Racing Manager Emma Guymer sits down with us to talk about life as a racing manager for a leading syndicator and what her role entails. Growing up as
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You can find jobs in the racing industry around the country – and the world – but like all industries, there are certain places that have more jobs available depending
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You’ve watched Hugh Bowman pilot Winx to win after win and have decided you want to follow in his footsteps by becoming a jockey. There’s just one problem …. you
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You’ve never been around horses before and have no idea how to handle them, YouTube videos haven’t helped and you don’t want to go into your first equine job with
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While caring for racehorses may not get you the most attention of any job in the industry, it is one of the most important roles in addition to opening up
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