Generation Next: James Hetherington

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

While the 28-year-old wasn’t born into a racing family, he was surrounded by horses from the outset, his parents’ passion for showjumping rubbing off on both he and his older sister.

Hetherington honed and developed his riding craft at pony club during his formative years and quickly became an astute show jumper.

He represented Australia in Korea as a 17-year-old, started in his first World Cup the following year before signing off five years ago with success in the main Grand Prix at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

“Starting in my first World Cup at a young age spurred me on to have a proper crack at showjumping which I did for a few years while I was at university,” Hetherington told TDN AusNZ.

“It was an interesting period, I had two World Cup horses so I was riding at a good level and enjoying it. But when I finished university I was looking for something a bit more career-driven and that was when I moved into the thoroughbred industry.”

Hetherington’s first foray into the thoroughbred industry was in his late teens when working for Queensland-based trainer Barry Lockwood.

After completing high school he opted to pursue showjumping full-time and would leave Lockwood’s stables with a more diverse skillset and greater appreciation for what it takes to train and nurture a racehorse.

“Barry Lockwood is one of the greatest horsemen I have ever had anything to do with,” Hetherington said.

“He was a fantastic teacher and always had a lot of time and all his stories from when he was training in Sydney were unbelievable.

“The passion I got for the racing industry was brought on by him and he gave me a lot of opportunities. I learnt a lot about horse management and the racing side of it in those years working for him.”

Finding his feet

Hetherington rode full-time for the best part of four years following the completion of his secondary studies and during this period he would complete a marketing and journalism degree.

After his tertiary studies, Hetherington applied for a marketing and nominations position at Kitchwin Hills, which he was successful in securing.

“I thought it was a good opportunity as I enjoyed the racing industry socially and had a passion for the horses,” Hetherington said.

“I applied for the job at Kitchwin with no real experience in the breeding side of things and how it all operated, but I had the passion and it allowed me to use my degree.”

Hetherington described his time at Kitchwin as an ‘industry apprenticeship’, saying that he was able to learn all aspects of how a stud farm operates.

The role challenged Hetherington to begin with but the support of Director Steve Brown and Director/Stud Manager Mick Malone allowed him to find his feet quickly.

He said both Malone and Brown, along with Malone’s wife Pauline, were great mentors during his time at Kitchwin.

“The opportunity that Mick Malone and Steve Brown gave me there was a massive stepping stone into the industry,” Hetherington said.

“Everyone dived in and got into everything and that’s the beauty of that size of farm as you can be involved in every aspect of the business.

“And, for someone like me coming through, it was important that I did get that grounding and had that base to work off.”

A magical opportunity

At the beginning of last year, Hetherington 'jumped at’ the vacant bloodstock consultant position at Magic Millions after having maintained a desire to become an auctioneer.

His interest in the art of auctioneering spawned from spending time with his father, who is a stock and station agent in Tamworth, going around to various sales during his younger years.

While Hetherington loved his role at Kitchwin, he said he felt as though he was on the wrong side of the fence when attending sales.

“Becoming an auctioneer was always the long-term play but it wasn’t something I always thought was going to happen,” Hetherington said.

“Before starting at Kitchwin I was selling cattle and sheep weekly and while it was put on hold during my time there it’s something I’ve always kept developing in case this opportunity came up.”

Hetherington said the opportunity to attain a broader and more rounded understanding of how the industry operates was another factor behind taking on the role at Magic Millions.

He said that he is blessed to be able to work alongside and ‘pick the brains’ of fellow auctioneers Grant Burns, Clint Donovan and Steve Davis.

“They’re all really good at providing feedback, so to be able to have a run and then step down and have those three guys to bounce ideas off is fantastic,” Hetherington said.

“And the beauty of being in such a good team and selling with such great guys is that you’ve got to operate at a high level and that’s allowed me to improve in such a short space of time by being around and listening to them and how they operate.”

Hetherington has enjoyed the opportunity to auctioneer throughout the recent sales period at Magic Millions, saying the requirement to remain accurate and punctual while selling a large number of horses has been a great challenge.

“For me, I put a lot of preparation into really knowing my stuff, especially being new on the scene I want to show that I am prepared and professional,” Hetherington said.

“I put a lot of effort into making sure I don’t miss anything because the vendors selling these horses know them like the back of their hand and as an auctioneer if I can add more information during the sale it might add an extra bid.

“So, over the past couple of weeks that was a big thing to get my head around selling that many horses because in the past I’ve only sold a limited amount here or there.”

The other string to his bow

Like all industry auctioneers, Hetherington also doubles as a bloodstock consultant.

He said his lifelong involvement with horses and solid grounding at Kitchwin and with Lockwood has allowed him to have conviction when offering his opinion.

“It is a challenge to have your opinion matter at a young age but I’m fortunate that people know the grounding that I’ve had in the industry and that has helped me in my position,” Hetherington said.

“When I step foot onto farms they know that I have done that apprenticeship at Kitchwin and have that experience there to base my decisions off and I hope that gives my opinion a bit more punch.

“If I had stepped into this role four years earlier and hadn’t have had that grounding and all-around experience I wouldn’t warrant the same amount of respect that I have now.”

Magic Millions’ Managing Director Barry Bowditch and Bloodstock Manager Dane Robinson have also played pivotal roles in Hetherington’s development since joining the sales house.

“Barry (Bowditch) has been a huge help right throughout, he has given me great opportunities in such a short space of time that I’m very grateful for,” Hetherington said.

“He has been very good at throwing the ball in my court and saying, 'Drive on' and Dane Robinson, who I live with is another one; we're always bouncing ideas off each other.

“So, it has been a very easy transition into this sector given the people I have around me to help me out.”

Hetherington is content with the position he currently holds at Magic Millions, saying he is in the perfect place to pursue and achieve all of his ambitions.

“I’m in a very fortunate position that the role here is as much as you want to make it, so I’m just trying to get out there and meet as many people as I can,” Hetherington said.

“The ability to auctioneer allows people to put a face to the name and while I love that side of it it is only a small part of a big wheel.

“Although I am continuing to develop my auctioneering skills and hopefully one day I’m standing up there in January selling future Golden Slipper winners.”

The next generation

While Hetherington found his way into the industry it may have not been the case for a host of people had they not been able to access newfound initiatives such as Thoroughbred Industry Careers and Fast Track.

“It’s very different now, especially in the last five years compared to when I finished university and came into the industry,” Hetherington said.

“There are a lot more pathways now, I went to an agricultural high school in Tamworth which is on the Hunter Valley’s doorstep and I wouldn’t have known what the breeding industry was unless I found it for myself.

“Programs such as Thoroughbred Industry Careers and Fast Track have made great inroads for the betterment of the industry as it has allowed young people to get an opportunity.”

The advice Hetherington gives to the next generation of passionate industry aspirants is to dive into any opportunity you can and ‘just keep chipping away’ at your end-goal.

“There were plenty of times that I thought I would never become an auctioneer, but I kept progressing and working towards it as I had an-end goal,” Hetherington said.

“It took a few more years than I thought it would’ve but it eventually happened and I can now see that all the steps that I did in the lead up is what has held me in good stead for the role I know have.”