Gus, OTI’s NSW Manager has been featured in this week’s edition of the TDN Australia New Zealand Generation Next series.
In this week’s edition of Generation Next, we catch up with OTI Racing’s Angus Boyd, who has transitioned into the newly coined role of Sydney Manager after spending the best part of five years under the tutelage of CEO Terry Henderson and General Manager Shayne Driscoll at the operation’s Docklands headquarters.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
The above is an exert of Jackson Frantz’s tdnausnz.com article, which can be read in full here.
