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Donovan to take a step back from role at auction house but remains as an auctioneer and consultant
Dane Robinson has been appointed Magic Millions bloodstock, replacing Clint Donovan, who will remain part of the auction houses team as an auctioneer and consultant.
Robinson takes on the role having worked as a bloodstock consultant for the company for two years, while he brings a plethora of experience having enjoyed stints with Gai Waterhouse and Highclere Racing as well as being a graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start programme.
Dane Robinson told Racing & Sports Bloodstock that he was thrilled to be taking on the new role and said he has been lucky to work with Donovan during his time at the company.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve been there two years now and it’s always been a really nice fit,” he said. “I think I’ve been fortunate to have Clint Donovan as a manager and I think it is a huge benefit Clint is not leaving. He’s just stepping aside so he can be more flexible with what he’s doing in the property world.
“It’s something he has always had a passion for and he’s managed to auctioneer houses on his weekends. The opportunity that he has is something he couldn’t say no to and I wish him all the best of luck with that.
“The best part is that we still get to have Clint as a consultant and an auctioneer and he’ll still be very much involved in the decision making. His knowledge and the relationships he has with people won’t be lost and I’ll still be conversing with him frequently and he’ll still be very much part of the business moving forward.”
Robinson said that it was a great time to be working in the industry and especially for a sales company.
“It’s a great time to be involved in the industry,” he said. “The market is strong across all sectors and we are expecting that to go through to our breeding stock sales. It’s amazing on the back of a pandemic that horse sales are so strong and through the roof. We’ve grossed more this year than any other year in history - Magic Millions has had a huge year. Stepping into the role off the back of that is great. The role has responsibilities, definitely, but it’s also good to know that we have a great model going forward.”
The Magic Millions team will be strengthened further with the appointment of James Heatherington, who joins the company having worked for Kitchwin Hills for the past four years.
“We’ve just employed James Heatherington and we have a great team of young people in our office,” Robinson said. “We have Barry at the helm and Clint still involved; Barry is one of the best thinkers that I’ve ever met in the game and Clint is one of the best people person you’ll ever come across.
“Then you have James Heatherington. He’s very talented and he’s going to be a great auctioneer when he’s ready and to name a few others, Chris Farrell, James Dawson, Ben Culham and Georgia Everingham, we have a lot of good young people coming through and that gives me a lot of confidence.
“The vote of confidence from Katie as well is huge - you can’t put a price on it.”
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch expressed his delight at the new appointment and was also quick to pay tribute to Donovan’s contribution to the company.
“Dane has become an outstanding and industry respected employee in his time here and is the ideal replacement for Clint’s role,” he said.
“Clint has become an integral part of the Magic Millions family and thankfully he will remain an important part of the company going forward as a consultant and auctioneer. We also welcome James who I believe is the ideal fit and will complement the outstanding group of people we are lucky to have here.”
Robinson will begin his new role on April 1.
