Welcome to TDN AusNZ’s ‘It Takes A Team’, brought to you in conjunction with the Australian Stud and Stable Staff Awards supported by Godolphin. Here we highlight and celebrate some of the heroes of our industry. The strappers, riders, stud-workers and people behind the scenes of our champions. The people who are up late into the night foaling or up at the crack of dawn for trackwork, working tirelessly to keep our industry running.
Today, we speak with Ben Cook who has been shortlisted for the Newcomer Award and to George Sexton, Torryburn Stud's Assistant Manager, who nominated Ben for this award.
TDN AusNZ: Congratulations on being shortlisted and recognised for the Newcomer Award. What does it mean to you?
Ben Cook: I’m just so thrilled to have made the shortlist, it’s such an honour.
TDN AusNZ: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in the industry?
BC: I’ve had horses my whole life, when living with my parents I would go away with them on the weekends doing cow horse events from a very young age. I began at Torryburn Stud after doing two weeks work experience through my school, Mel (Copelin) offered me a part time job and it all began there.
Ben Cook
TDN AusNZ: What is your role now, and what does it involve?
BC: At the moment I’m doing a little bit of everything on the stud, from the yearling barn to spellers and everything in between, wherever I’m needed really!
TDN AusNZ: What excites you most about this role?
BC: What most excites me is learning the ins and outs of everything that goes on at the stud. Experiencing all the different ways of dealing with certain issues and just doing everything the best I can.
"What most excites me (about my job) is learning the ins and outs of everything that goes on at the stud." - Ben Cook
TDN AusNZ: Do you have any mentors who have helped you along the way?
BC: I definitely have a lot of mentors that have helped me along the way, the Cornish family, Mel (Copelin) the stud manger, George (Sexton) the assistant manager and also everyone else on the stud who has helped me get to where I am today as well as in the industry.
TDN AusNZ: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to make their start in the industry?
BC: I think the best advice I can give someone is get your foot in the door and never stop learning, and also to work hard for what you want.
TDN AusNZ: What is your favourite time of year in the industry?
BC: My favourite time of the year is definitely when the foals start hitting the ground. I'm a sucker for a cute foal, also the reproduction side of things I find very fascinating.
TDN AusNZ: What are you most looking forward to when travel opens up again?
BC: I definitely want to go overseas one day to see how other farms do things, and to be able to see what else I can learn about the industry from there.
Words from George Sexton
TDN AusNZ: Why did you nominate Ben for this award? What is it about him that makes him such a deserving nominee?
George Sexton: I nominated Ben for the award for numerous reasons, mostly that Ben has quickly become a great asset for us here at Torryburn Stud and I’d love for that to be recognised.
Ben came from a camp draft background so had an affiliation with horses already but no knowledge of thoroughbreds. It is through his eagerness to learn that he has gone from strength to strength developing incredible horsemanship skills which gave us the confidence for him to attend his first yearling sale this year at the Inglis Classic and Easter sales.
He’s fantastic with the young horses, very calm, relaxed and confident. He cares so much for each and every one of them. Ben always sets out to do things to the highest standard and can show initiative when needed, and can be trusted in all areas of the farm and carries out all his tasks with a smile or a joke.
"Ben (Cook) always sets out to do things to the highest standard and can show initiative when needed, and can be trusted in all areas of the farm and carries out all his tasks with a smile or a joke." - George Sexton
I think everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Ben at the sales or farm can definitely say there’s never a dull moment when he’s around. Despite only just turning 18, Ben is actually quite mature for his age, he can lead by example and take control of situations when needed, he’s great to have with new staff or young staff because he’ll never cut corners and will show them the standard that things need to be done to.
Ben always jumps at opportunities to learn new skills and techniques or just in general about the thoroughbred industry, we need more young people with his eagerness and passion, it’s important we nurture them and teach them to give them a good foundation in the industry.
I started at Torryburn not long before Ben so I’ve been able to see the huge progression and growth from him, not only in his work but him personally too. We are all very proud of how far he’s come in such a short space of time and hope to keep him in our industry for the foreseeable future.
