Emma Todd (right) receiving the Stud Staff Support Line Victorian Rising Star Racing Photos
The Victorian Rising Star Award is won by someone in the industry who will shape and become the future of Victorian breeding industry, and this year, it was Burnewang North’s Emma Todd who was awarded the Stud Staff Support Line Rising Star Award at the Victorian Breeding Awards Night.
Initially from New South Wales, Emma is now the co-Stud Manager with her husband Aaron, with a key interest in advanced research in improving all aspects of the farm and horse.
When making the move to Victoria in 2011, Emma said that the plan was to just take on the role for two years, but she has quickly fallen in love with this marvellous breeding state and is now raising her own family.
“We moved down here with the intention of giving it a couple of years,” Emma said.
“I guess we fell in love with the farm, the people, and the beautiful community.
“We actually got married here in 2016 in one of the front paddocks which was just unreal.
“Now we have two kids down here and I just feel very lucky.”
When Emma was asked what this award meant to her and to describe the qualities of someone who would be a worthy recipient, her answer validated that she is well and truly a top candidate for this award.
“To me, this award is for someone who is always aspiring to do better for their farm, the horses in their care and the industry as a whole,” Emma said.
“For me personally, it was just a beautiful validation of the hard work that I have put in so far and it was obviously a career highlight.
“It’s an honour to be recognised and appreciated in front of our Victorian industry, and it was really quite something special.”
When it comes to research, Emma has been a forerunner for Victoria, participating in major researches and working with industry professionals across all fields.
This quality of looking towards the future of Victoria is a big part of why Emma was awarded the Rising Star Award, not only kicking goals as a stud manager, but looking for an even better future for Victoria.
“There are always better ways of doing things and I have been lucky enough to have endless opportunities since being here with various challenges that have come up, but also learning from the positives, figuring out what made a result good, whether it be a crop, x-ray, or anything.”
“Securing funding for research is so highly competitive because there are limited funds to be used across the board.”
“It is so important for our industry to be constantly looking at the ways we care for our horses and collecting endless data to really hone in on what works and what doesn’t.”
Burnewang North has had some major success on the farm in the last two years, including Group 1 winners On The Bubbles and Lombardo being bred and raised, while this year, the farm topped the Inglis Great Southern Sale with a filly by champion sire and racehorse Frankel.
“We are very lucky to have an excellent team who work with us and are committed to providing the best of care for these horses,” Emma said.
“I am very grateful for my husband Aaron who is very much my teammate in all of this. He has always believed in me from the very early stages.”