Robinson's ascent through the ranks at Magic Millions to the role of Bloodstock Manager has been relatively rapid after he joined the company as a New South Wales Bloodstock Consultant less than two years ago.
The one-time Godolphin Flying Start trainee, who also worked as Racing Manager for Highclere Thoroughbreds, has a pedigree page to match most in the industry when it comes to working with horses.
The connection was to the fore on the first day of The Championships last Saturday as his father Terry, or TJ as he is known, claimed the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final, preparing star 4-year-old Art Cadeau (Artie Schiller {USA}) to the biggest win of his thoroughbred training career.
Dane and the rest of the family, and it seemed half of the towns of Berry and Nowra were there to celebrate an amazing occasion, as Art Cadeau led all the way and kicked clear under Tommy Berry to claim the rich prize on one of Australia's great racedays.
"They are the sorts of days you dream about around the family table. It's huge for my extended family as well. Dad is the eldest of 12 and we had our uncles and aunties, and cousins and friends of the family, they had two busloads come up for the day. The support about him has been unreal," Dane told TDN AusNZ.
Robinson said the innovations Racing NSW has brought in to support country trainers in the past decade, starting with the weekly Highway races and then the feature races during the autumn and spring have been life-altering for trainers like his father.
"The TAB Highways, and the Country Championships and The Kosciuszko, it really has put life back into that country racing industry. There was a point in time where Dad had thoughts about giving it away. Things were really tough," he said.
"The TAB Highways, and the Country Championships and The Kosciuszko, it really has put life back into that country racing industry. There was a point in time where Dad had thoughts about giving it away. Things were really tough." - Dane Robinson
"But testament to him, without fail he gets up every morning to go to work and his persistence is paying off with the help if the TAB Highways, I think he's won 15 of those now, it’s just an amazing thing. To see where he came from to a position where he can win these races, you wouldn't have dreamt of it 15 years ago."
It was 15 years ago when Terry Robinson elected to end his involvement in harness racing after a brilliant career in the sulky. Growing up as the son, and right hand man, of the legendary harness racing figure Kevin Robinson, TJ had attempted to mix both thoroughbred and standardbreds, before it got too much to handle.
Dane sees Saturday's success with Art Cadeau as a reward for his father's lifelong work with horses and particularly, the effort that he has put in as a thoroughbred trainer in the past 25 years.
"“Dad has worked so hard his whole life, ensuring and supporting the success of our grandfather Kevin and for Regal Lodge, and it’s just amazing to see him get a win like this in his own name - showing he is every bit the horseman our grandfather was," Dane said.
"I think he felt the pressure a bit from being the son of Kevin and having that position in the family. With everyone there on Saturday and winning that race, it's a big tick and I’m sure hugely satisfying for Dad.
"I have no doubt that KJ wouldn't have had a lot of that success without Dad, and it’s just really nice, that after floating across to the thoroughbreds in the 1990s, he now has this success under his own name.”
A national showcase
The 'country-boy-done-good' is a story told many times in Australian racing, and Robinson's success, and the resultant celebrations, drew considerable media attention, something which could prove crucial to a trainer who has never courted a profile, despite his unparalleled skills as a horseman.
"Suddenly you see TJ on Channel 7, free-to-air, who would have even thought of that? It's awesome to see. That sort of exposure generates so much more. You syndicate a couple of yearlings and they sold quite well off the back of that," Dane said.
"It gets the buoyancy back in the stable. For those country guys, it’s been life-changing. To have those sorts of horses bred by a local breeder, Mick Lill, who lives five minutes away from TJ, and they became really close friends, you can’t put it in to words what it means."
"It gets the buoyancy back in the stable. For those country guys, it’s been life-changing." - Dane Robinson
The party held to mark Art Cadeau's win spoke a million words, stretching from Randwick to the South Coast.
"We had a couple of busloads going back to the local pub, and a few of us stayed in Sydney and celebrated. Dad had to take the horse home, so he didn't get too long at the racetrack, but he got a rockstar reception, when he turned up at the local pub. He was there right until close, so it was a night to remember. There were a few sore heads on a Sunday," he said.
The husky tone of Dane's voice on the phone a few days after the race gives him up as one of those who may have been nursing a hangover.
Terry and Dane Robinson
Back to work
Getting back to work after a celebration like that can be a chore but as they say, when you do what you love, you never work a day in your life. Robinson's path into the thoroughbred industry, albeit via a different path, was very much inspired by his father.
"I wouldn't be in the position I am in without the family upbringing and the association with horses that I have had. I'm very proud of my family," he said.
He is only a couple of weeks into his new role at Magic Millions, where he will fill the shoes of the much respected and liked, Clint Donovan, who is stepping back from his involvement with the company to focus on his own business interests but will still be involved as an auctioneer.
"It feels a little bit surreal. I've been with Magics for two years now, but it has been in the New South Wales role based out of Sydney. To be approached to come up and take over from Clint, it took me a while to digest how it would go," he said.
"I've spent a lot of time away, firstly through Flying Start and then through Highclere and I just felt like I was getting back into Sydney life, but at the end of the day, it was too good an opportunity to pass up."
Dane Robinson
Robinson has spent the past month in handover mode with Donovan, something he is very grateful of, and he is getting used to life on the Gold Coast having moved up there earlier in the year.
The biggest lesson he feels he has learned in his two years with the company is the importance of the relationship with clients.
"Understanding the people that are involved and how individuals do business has been really important. To work a lot closer with the leading guys in the industry, you see how their decision-making works. To understand how they make their decisions and help them get the best result for their stock, you can't put a price on that experience," he said.
"Working with Barry (Bowditch, Managing Director) and Clint over the past two years and now into this role, it just gives you a great understanding of how it all operates at a much bigger level."
While the COVID-19 disruption has made it an interesting time to be involved with a sales company, Robinson said the way in which the industry has bounced into 2021 is a vindication of the optimism of those involved.
"I think you have to be. We all deal with hope. We hope for the next good horse to come along, and on the back of very strong sales results this year and on the back of prizemoney continuing to increase, we are the most buoyant market in the world," he said.
"People internationally are looking at it and looking to enjoy the opportunities down here. There's not a better place in the world to be in at the moment than the Australian racing industry."
