Williamson happy to be back with the horses 

After a 12-month sabbatical of sorts, Scott Williamson got back on the “magic roundabout” that led him to be stud manager of the Hunter Valley’s Middlebrook Valley Lodge.

The thoroughbred breeding heartland of Scone isn’t unfamiliar territory for the expatriate Englishman, with Williamson cutting his teeth in the region when he first moved to Australia.

After working at Coolmore, Darley and Lane’s End in the US, upon arriving in the southern hemisphere, Williamson gained experience at Widden Stud, Edinglassie and managed Twin Palms Stud prior to moving to Victoria.

He managed Musk Creek Farm on the Mornington Peninsula until mid-2025.

Once again fully immersed in Scone, Williamson is into his third week as Middlebrook’s stud manager, a position that allows him to once again be hands-on with the horses.

“I’ve had a year away from being a stud manager and when I saw the job advertised, I guess it was a bit of an itch I needed to keep scratching,” Williamson says. “You know. I miss the horses, I miss the hands-on, and that’s what I know and what I love.

“The opportunity for me and my family was too good to turn down.”

Williamson had spent recent years in Victoria managing Musk Creek Farm on the Mornington Peninsula, before taking a break and working in other fields within the bloodstock industry.

But it is farm life that suits him best.

“We (Middlebrook) are predominantly a client-based farm and we’re seasonal, taking mares from Victoria, South Australia and WA for the breeding season along with a small group of home-owned mares.”

Williamson isn’t the only one to have jumped at the chance to make a change to their employment during the winter months and between the sales and breeding seasons.

Vinery Stud snapped up Sebastian Angelillo from Darley to join its sales and nominations team, while Allison Sedgwick moved to Yulong from Kia Ora when its stallion division merged with Vinery’s. 

Darley’s Arvin Chadee is also in his final weeks with the breeding and racing giant before he moves to AgriFutures, while Coolmore’s John Kennedy joined Ciaron Maher Racing.

Brian McGuire has stepped into Kennedy’s shoes as Coolmore’s racing manager while auction house Magic Millions is on the lookout for a new chief financial officer.

That vacancy has been created with incumbent Sam Roberts soon to depart to Coolmore as part of its financial team.

At the weekend, Victoria’s Blue Gum Farm also confirmed a suite of staffing changes with Siobhan Smyth appointed farm operations manager and Jane Hearn as its broodmare manager.

Agent Suman Hedge has also been appointed as Blue Gum’s director of bloodstock.

Williamson says the staffing shortages in the racing and breeding industries provide opportunities for people to move up the chain of command relatively quickly if they demonstrate a work ethic and willingness to learn.

“We’re all in the same boat and we all understand the difficulties involved with staffing, especially in this industry,” Williamson says. 

“Anyone that’s got a good reputation and good knowledge, they will be well sought after by any farms. 

“It’s this time of year every year where there’s a few moves, the magic roundabout happens and a few people end up shuffling around.”