Generation Next: Angus Boyd

Boyd, 24, doesn’t come from a racing family per se, however, a passion for the sport, which was developed through his father's ownership endeavours, became evident in his later teens.

After completing secondary studies at The Geelong College, Boyd decided he wanted to get more involved in the industry while completing a business degree at Deakin University.

The decision to touch base with Rosemont Stud's principal, Anthony Mithen, opened the door for Boyd to begin working part-time in a stud hand capacity.

“I knew Anthony Mithen well and I thought it would be great to get a hands-on grounding as it would help me appreciate all parts of the industry, not just the racing and syndication side,” Boyd told TDN AusNZ.

“I did a stint out at Rosemont which was of great benefit, and then the opportunity to get involved with OTI popped up once I had met Terry (Henderson) and Shayne (Driscoll) through my father that had owned horses with them.”

In the beginning Boyd only worked one day a week at OTI. He was assigned small tasks such as looking at the history of Derby winners and benchmarking training costs.

During this period he maintained the stud hand position at Rosemont before departing the Gnarwarre-based operation when offered a communications assistant role at OTI.

“I was weighing it up (pursuing breeding) for a little while, but it was just a matter of timing when the role at OTI was offered to me, and it seemed like a good move knowing that they were still interested in me completing my business degree,” Boyd said.

“However, my time at Rosemont was really important and I look back on it very fondly, the team were really helpful and it has given me a greater appreciation of what is a huge part of the industry.”

Off and racing

The weight of Boyd’s role at OTI, which has seen him recently progress from Communications Manager to Sydney Manager, is the main reason behind why he is yet to complete the business degree he started in 2018.

However, he remains committed to completing the course and has continued to work through it on a part-time basis since joining OTI.

“That extra study I’ve always felt is important and so has Terry and Shayne, which is why they’ve supported me in continuing to do that, as the added business knowledge and grounding is very helpful,” Boyd said.

“I know it’s a bit of a cliché to be a bit of a sponge but I wanted to dip my toe in and strike up that relationship as some of those business, administration and communications roles with syndicators and studs can be hard to fall into.”

Boyd considers himself fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to play an integral part in such as esteemed operation at a young age, saying the chance to learn from an astute operator like Henderson hasn’t been lost on him.

He recently travelled to France with Henderson and is looking forward to returning for the Arqana Yearling Sale in Deauville this August.

“I’ve certainly been fortunate that at this stage of Terry’s career he has been really focused on developing the staff he has under him and I’ve been a beneficiary of that,” Boyd said.

“Working under him has been terrific, not just from a work experience perspective but from a life experience point of view, he’s done a lot of things and I feel like every week I learn something different.

“He’s been a big part of my life the past few years and I certainly value the lessons he has taught me so far.”

Boyd and Driscoll also share a close working relationship, with the long-serving OTI employee having played an important role in Boyd’s growth.

“Shayne (Driscoll) and I have a good relationship too, he’s very committed to the business and the future of OTI,” Boyd said.

“He always seems to be putting OTI first and has been a great serviceman to the business, he’s been involved in all facets of the operation for a long time and I certainly appreciate the work he puts in on a day-to-day basis.”

Expanding the OTI brand

There are no grand plans or personal business endeavours in the pipeline, according to Boyd.

He said his main focus is to assist in growing the OTI brand in NSW and ensuring clients have the best possible experience when racing a horse in the operation's silks.

“I’m very fortunate to be in the position I am, and I want to grow those relationships as I love the connection we currently have with our trainers and clients here in NSW,” Boyd said.

“This is an area of our business that we want to continue to grow and I am very focused on that right now.”

Not only has he watched the operation's outstanding success in recent years, Boyd has also shared in the fruits of these results, having part-owned 2020 G1 ATC Derby hero turned Motree Thoroughbreds stallion Quick Thinker.

“Quick Thinker won that Derby at a very interesting time in a lot of our lives, we were in the middle of a very long and cold lockdown in Victoria and I got to watch it at home with my family who I have a very close relationship with,” Boyd said.

“My father was involved in the horse as well, and it’s very funny looking back because my mother couldn’t work out why we were crying after he won.

“It was a real thrill, and that’s a day I look back on very fondly and often go back and watch the replay.”

While OTI’s racing footprint is well-established a lesser known facet of the business is its breeding portfolio which sees them own more than 10 mares in partnership with clients.

And as a result of its breed-to-race strategy they will ensure that Quick Thinker is given a chance to hit the ground running at stud.

“We will be sending a few mares his (Quick Thinker's) way to race, we would love to help him get his chance as he’s not that classic Australian speed stallion and I’ve got no doubt that his stock might just take a little bit of time,” Boyd said.

“And it’s another part of the business that I enjoy and it’s nice to have that option there for our clients to breed and retain if they do wish to head down that pathway."

The next generation

The advice Boyd has for those looking to get into administration, communication and business orientated roles in the industry is to make the most of any opportunity that comes your way.

“It’s about following a path that I did in taking the opportunity to get experience where you can, as working for a syndicator or a stud from an office and business point of view can be tough to get into initially,” Boyd said.

While inroads have been made in recent years to fix the staffing crisis there is still plenty of scope for improvement, according to Boyd.

“It’s something that can certainly continue to be a focus, there’s some people with great views and David Eustace’s is something I agree with as I would love to see training pathways become more evident,” Boyd said.

“We’ve seen stables like Lindsay Park and the Maher and Eustace team take it upon themselves to do that but I’d love to see the major jurisdictions create pathways for young people to get more hands-on experience in a less daunting environment.

“I’m sure that rocking up to Randwick at 4am on your first morning would be a daunting experience, so being in an environment where you can get that hands-on experience under less pressure would be extremely beneficial.”