Generation Next: Brittany Hussey

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

Brittany Hussey, who hung up the saddle in 2014 at the age of 20, was always destined for a career in racing, with her mother Julie training six winners between 2007 and 2016 before joining Godolphin and her father, Jason Patton, partnering Kenvain (Kenmare {Fr}) to G1 Oakleigh Plate glory in 1994.

She would spend her formative and teenage years immersed in racing and eventing, assisting her mother at the stables before and after school then spending weekends riding and competing.

“Racing has always been my life, I started riding as soon as I could walk. I grew up going to pony club, gymkhanas and I loved show jumping,” Hussey told TDN AusNZ.

“I started working with Jess Barton (Pateman) at the age of 12, who had a show jumping stable in Warrnambool, and as soon as I turned 14 I applied for my stable hand license.”

Hussey’s first ‘mentor’ was none other than Ciaron Maher, who she met at the age of 14, when the now champion trainer had a small team of jumpers at Warrnambool.

“Ciaron Maher was my first boss and when I was 14 I would meet him every day down at the beach and rode an old jumper called Fiddleray, and after my first day I said to Ciaron, ‘I’m going to be back here every single morning’,” Hussey said.

“Mum would drop me down in the mornings to ride Fiddleray and that slowly progressed to other horses before Ciaron helped set my apprenticeship goals in motion with Darren Weir, where I worked with him for about six months at Warrnambool before heading to Ballarat when I got closer to fulfilling my apprenticeship dreams.”

Short-lived stint

Hussey’s love of the horse led her towards a stint in the saddle, which was cut short by a spate of injuries that halted her momentum and ultimately impacted raceday rides.

She never felt as though she was afforded any less opportunities due to her gender despite riding prior to Michelle Payne’s groundbreaking G1 Melbourne Cup success aboard Prince Of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) in 2015 and the rise of Jamie Kah.

“Unfortunately, my time on the sidelines didn’t give me the opportunity to get the ball rolling, it is quite hard in Victoria and after three years of riding on and off I decided it just wasn’t for me, but I was motivated to remain in the industry as horses have been my life since a young age,” Hussey said.

“I feel I was always afforded opportunities throughout my time riding, if you’re good enough and work hard enough you can succeed regardless of your gender, which has been proven by the likes of Linda Meech, Jamie Kah, Kathy O’Hara, Rachel King and Katelyn Mallyon.”

On the otherside

Hussey worked for Luke Oliver after giving up race riding and it was there she began to take on more administrative roles, which ultimately paved the way for her to join Inglis as a receptionist in 2017.

Friend and fellow Inglis Bloodstock Consultant Will Stott, who Hussey worked with at Oliver’s, along with long-time family friend and Inglis Insurance Consultant Narelle Stocker both called and encouraged the then 22-year-old to take on the reception role, which at the time was a two-day per week position.

After 18 months working as Inglis' part-time receptionist, Hussey’s manager at the time Simon Vivian offered her extra work in a bloodstock secretary capacity, which she jumped at.

This led to a full-time position as a bloodstock assistant in 2020 and then into the bloodstock consultant role that she currently occupies.

“Luke (Oliver) was fantastic, he gave me so many opportunities at the end of my riding career and introduced me to office work, where I did some admin and communication with owners,” Hussey said.

“I asked Luke’s opinion and thoughts about the (receptionist) role at Inglis and he was all for it and gave me the encouragement to go for the role.

“During those first couple of years at Inglis I was still managing riding trackwork but Luke was very accomodating and encouraged me to do as much as I could at Inglis.”

Hussey described Vivian and former Inglis Bloodstock Consultant Mark Dodemaide as early mentors of hers at Inglis, saying the astute and respected operators taught her a lot about conformation, pedigrees and assessing horses as yearlings and weanlings.

“Growing up with a horse background and working in the stables allowed me to see a lot of horses every day, so once I started doing inspections on farms with Simon (Vivian) and Mark (Dodemaide) I could then draw on my past experiences and their advice to try and forecast how these yearlings and weanlings I was inspecting would develop into a racehorse,” Hussey said.

“When I was working in the stables you would know the sire but very rarely would I know too much detail of the dam side, but when I started at Inglis it opened my eyes up to how big the world of breeding is and it is amazing how racing and breeding fit in together but are so separate at the same time.”

Hussey loves the diversity of her role at Inglis, which allows her to spend time travelling to farms for inspections, working closely with buyers and vendors, monitoring Inglis Digital and being on the ground at sales.

She is driven by ensuring vendors can achieve the best possible results in the ring and also loves seeing the enthusiasm on buyers' faces after their latest purchase.

“I love the team I work with at Inglis, everyone is so supportive and always brings the very best out in me,” Hussey said.

“I’m really happy with where I am at the moment and my goals for the future are to just keep doing what I’m doing and to grow and progress in my role, which hopefully leads to a lot of long-term clients that trust in my opinion.”

The future is bright

Hussey continues to ride trackwork at Lindsay Park on the odd occasion for her partner JD Hayes.

“When I have some spare time on my hands I will ride some trackwork at Lindsay Park as I still love riding and being around the horses as I do miss it and it allows me to get that horse-fix,” Hussey said.

“I’m incredibly proud of what JD (Hayes) has been able to achieve, he’s a very hard worker and it has shown with the stable's results and the Doncaster H. win with Mr Brightside, so I’m sure the success will continue for him and Ben (Hayes).”

Hussey suggests that any young person wanting to work their way into a bloodstock or operations-based role in the industry should first attain a hands-on understanding of the game.

The industry is making some positive steps in its pursuit to engage youth and open their eyes to career opportunities that are available in both the breeding and racing sectors, according to Hussey.

She referenced the pony races that have recently been showcased by Thoroughbred Industry Careers, saying herself and close friend Katelyn Mallyon would loved to have had the opportunity to participate in these spectacles growing up.

“We’re so lucky to work in an industry with so much passion and so many opportunities available, so if you work hard the potential to what you can achieve is endless,” Hussey said.

“So, for those starting out I suggest to start from the ground up, work in stables, at a stud farm and see how the industry works from behind the scenes and see what it leads to because people like my mum, who have dedicated their life to racing, are the backbone of the racing industry and we are so lucky to have them.”