BEING the son of Regal Lodge's Terry Robinson, Dane was always destined for a career in the horse industry.
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Robinson, after stops with Bell View Park, Gai Waterhouse, the Godolphin Flying Start scholarship and Highclere Racing, found his way to the Gold Coast as part of the Magic Millions.
"I've held the NSW bloodstock consultant role working out of Sydney for the past two years and basically been the man on the ground for all NSW clientele for Magic Millions which represents close to 50 per cent of the business," Robinson said.
"My main roles include inspecting bloodstock, recruiting horses off the farms as well as race fillies off the track, and cataloguing of our sales to ultimately work to generate the best possible returns for Thoroughbred breeders."
"Focus turns to the buyers once the catalogue is finalised, and that sees a lot of time of the phone and out and about meeting with potential buyers.
"Since starting with Magics, it's felt like my industry knowledge has grown 10 fold.
"While my childhood was spent around the racing stables, my experience was obviously channelled to the racing side of the industry.
"Flipping the industry coin to the breeding side and only now am I really starting to have a grasp on the size and scale of the industry as a whole, and the work that participants put in to generate bloodstock trade each year to keep the racing side supplied.
"Experience is and always has been the best form of learning and now I'm being more exposed to industry leaders how they operate, who and what they trade and work closely with is only continuing to develop my knowledge.
"You never stop learning in this industry and I have no doubt I'll be doing plenty more of it in this new role."
As the Bomaderry High School alumnus alludes to, he was recently promoted to the Magic Millions' bloodstock manager, where he takes over from Clint Donovan.
"Clint is has been a good friend and mentor in my time at Magics so far and I'm grateful that he will still be a part of the team and someone to call on for guidance and advise whenever necessary, while he pursues his opportunities in the property world on the Gold Coast," the 31-year-old said.
"I don't think I've met a better people person in the game than Clint and working well with people in this industry is paramount.
"The horses are pretty straight forward at the end of the day.
"It's the people that can make it testing at times and there has been no one better to learn from than Clint."
Robinson officially took over the role on April 1 and is thoroughly looking forward to the challenge.
"When starting with Magics, I thought I'd be five years down the track before looking at a role like this," he said.
"For it to come after two years wasn't expected but I'm truly grateful to Clint and our MD Barry Bowditch for affording me the opportunity.
"It's a big step up, and there will be plenty of new challenges, but since moving to the Gold Coast and working closely with Clint over the past few weeks I'm getting more and more excited about stepping into the role.
"At the end of the day, our role is to create a market of the best horses to be put in front of the best buying bench possible for our vendors.
"More directly as bloodstock manager, I'll be responsible for coordinating a team of consultants/agents across the country to inspect, select, catalogue and sell the best possible horses for our sales.
"We have over half a dozen live sales each year which we conduct on the Gold Coast, Perth, Tasmania and Adelaide, as well now as our online platform which sells monthly.
"Overall the company generates north of $350 million in bloodstock sales each year from all platforms."
Robinson hopes this role can take both he and Magic Millions to bigger heights for years to come.
"As the old saying goes, don't look too far ahead or you'll stumble at the step in front of you," he said.
"I've always tried to take the right opportunities as they've presented themselves because you never know what happens tomorrow.
"Magic Millions is my first and foremost priority over the next five years.
"And as a highly recognised and respected brand within the domestic and international thoroughbred industry, who knows what might come from that if and when the time is right."
In the short term, Robinson is looking forward to watching Regal Lodge's Art Cadeau contest this Saturday's country championships, which would be a well-deserved reward for the man his owes so much to.
"It's pretty safe to say I wouldn't be in horses if it wasn't for dad and the family, with both the Robinson and Cracknells having a history in the industry," he said.
"While I never really harboured huge ambitions to train, I love being around horses and part of the industry.
"I have a great sense of pride when it comes to my family history in the sport, and never tire of hearing stories from people about dad or my grandfather Kevin Robinson back in the day with either the pacers or gallopers.
"The recent support from people who follow dad on the back of the success he's having in the TAB Highway races and now the Country Championships with Art Cadeau heading into the final on April 10, really is special because there is no one more deserving of the accolades - although he'll never admit that to himself."
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