A VERY kind invitation from bloodstock agent and Lexington native Davant Latham saw several trainees ring in the new year and kick off the USA phase of the Flying Start programme at the Long Run Woodford Hounds Hunt Ball.

On the first day of 2024 the first-year trainees were greeted in Lexington with freezing temperatures but a very warm welcome from the team at Godolphin America.

With trainees having spent Christmas with family, a few in the much warmer climates of Australia and South Africa, reconvening in the first week was spent adjusting to the winter weather and the new surroundings.

Our early days consisted of tours of the beautiful Godolphin farms, spreading from one end of Lexington to the other including Jonabell, Gainsborough, Stonerside and Raceland.

The team at Jonabell put on a fantastic stallion show showcasing several of the best in the business, including Nyquist and Essential Quality, as well as newcomer Cody’s Wish. The week finished with a proper introduction to American culture going to see the professional bull riders at Rupp Arena.

Keeneland Sales

Next on the docket was the Godolphin consignment at the Keeneland January sale where the international trainees, though sceptical at first, learned the importance of the Carhartt overall.

The less-than-ideal weather was quickly forgotten, and the bitterness of the 5am wake-up call, in the utter darkness of January in Fayette County, was made obsolete by the relief of being back in a barn mucking stalls and grooming horses.

With trainees doing everything from running cards to showing horses to taking mares to the ring, there was an opportunity to experience any and all aspects of the consignment side of the sales business. Danny Mulvihill and his team are incredible at what they do and imparted a great deal of wisdom in just three short days.

Since then, quite a bit of ground has been covered visiting beautiful farms all over Lexington. Airdrie Stud hosted another impressive stallion show, headlined by last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Mage and joined by a personal favourite in Happy Saver.

A great talk from Pat Cummings prompted discussions regarding the role of the newly implemented Horseracing Integirty and Safety Authority [HISA] and the future of racing in the USA, both of which have been hotly-contested as of late.

On the racing side, a night at Turfway Park in the stewards’ box highlighted not only the arctic temperatures but also opened eyes to countless job opportunities and business plans.

Back to school

The American college experience is another aspect of the USA phase that is currently underway. With backpacks on and notebooks at the ready, trainees traverse across the University of Kentucky campus twice each week to attend an equine nutrition course taught by Dr Laurie Lawrence.

With the first quiz already tackled, heads are buried in books in preparation for the midterm exam coming up in early February. The nutrition class has been appropriately and thoughtfully supplemented by an outside lecture series from world renowned equine nutritionist Dr Steve Jackson.

Most recently, the snowstorm that enveloped Lexington threw a wrench in the regularly scheduled Friday calendar. However, thanks to expert reorganisation by phase coordinator Kathryn Banahan and the generosity of highly regarded Irish-born pre-trainer Eddie Woods, a last-minute Zoom call was put in place to discuss the two-year-old breeze-up business in Ocala.

Snow day

After countless questions answered, everyone content with their newfound grasp on the American two-year-old sales, and the rest of the afternoon off, trainees piled into the Godolphin-issued Chevy Tahoe and traversed one side of Lexington to the other, from Kroger to Target to Lowes to Walmart, only to discover the rest of the city apparently had the same thought, as there didn’t seem to be a single sled left in the county.

Even so, 12 young professionals with the afternoon off refused to be denied a snow day and the floor mats of the Tahoe proved to be as good a sled as any.

Though January in Kentucky can be quite bleak, for Godolphin Flying Start trainees it has been action-packed and will only get busier as the weather gets nicer. There is nothing better than spring in the south and, for racing fans everywhere, Lexington has it all.

See godolphinflyingstart.com for more information on the programme