Entries are open for the 2025 AgFutures Australia Les Young Scholarship

Written by Kit Gow

Cover image courtesy of AgriFutures Australia

Applications for the 2025 Les Young Scholarship, offered by AgFutures Australia, are now open. For thoroughbred industry members between the ages of 18 and 25, the scholarship offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study at The National Stud in the heart of British racing, Newmarket.

This will be the third iteration of the scholarship, which covers all study, accommodation, and travel costs for one successful candidate to travel to The National Stud at the beginning of 2026 and spend up to six months completing the stud’s residential course in stud and bloodstock management.

Candidates will have the level of the course tailored for their experience and interests, and have the opportunity to attend sales in the first half of the year, visit Newmarket studs and trainers, and attend trackwork, as well as gain hands-on experience in bloodstock husbandry.

“With a growing demand for skilled professionals in thoroughbred breeding, investing in the next generation is critical,” Caitlin Smith, manager of the AgFutures Thoroughbred Horses Program, said. “This scholarship is about fostering talent and ensuring the industry continues to thrive.

“The scholarship recipient benefits from gaining a global perspective. As the industry becomes more global, international experience and networking becomes such an advantage, and it certainly can accelerate that recipient's career within the industry.

“Being able to have on your resume that you've studied and worked abroad is such an asset.”

The scholarship is named in honour of Les Young; renowned bloodstock agent, journalist and long serving Thoroughbred Breeders NSW committee member, Young’s career spanned the length and breadth of the thoroughbred industry, as well as reaching far beyond its borders.

Known for his syndication of G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Marscay ahead of his stud career at Widden Stud, Young also managed Bob Lapointe, Robert Sangster, and Brian Mayfield-Smith under the Nebo Lodge banner, sourced breed-shaping mare Circles Of Gold (Marscay), and was a successful owner-breeder in his own right.

Among his many committee positions, he served as both a representative and chairman on the Racing Industry Participants Advisory Committee, and was a foundation member in 1995 of the Equine Advisory Committee of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the precursor for AgFutures Australia. His lifelong commitment to leadership and improving the industry around him led to the development of the scholarship after his passing in 2019.

“Les was pivotal in getting the RIRDC up and running and ensuring that the funding for all the equine projects was delivered in an appropriate manner,” Smith said. “So it is a lovely tribute to his legacy as a leader within the industry that here's a bursary left for a new emerging industry professional.”

“The National Stud program is world-class,” current scholarship recipient Basil Nolan said. “It offers hands-on experience with mares and foals, and the chance to work alongside industry leaders to deepen my understanding of bloodstock management.

“This experience is expanding my practical knowledge and professional network. The chance to learn from experienced mentors and see firsthand how the thoroughbred industry operates on a global scale is something I’ll carry forward in my career.”

To be eligible, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 25, have been working in the thoroughbred industry for at least two years, and are able to fly to the United Kingdom in 2026. A written application covering industry experience, long-term goals, and perspectives on key industry challenges and opportunities must be submitted, along with two letters of support from industry participants and a current resume.

Applications close on Wednesday, April 30 at 5pm, and the successful candidate will be announced on May 29.