The 2025-2027 Godolphin Flying Start trainees arrived at Kildangan Stud on Monday, Aug. 18 to commence their two-year scholarship within the thoroughbred industry.
The class comprises trainees from six different nationalities, including Spain, Morocco, India, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK.
The week of Aug. 24, the students will commence ICT and Communications training and their Equine Anatomy and Physiology module at University College Dublin.
“We welcomed our 23rd Godolphin Flying Start class to Kildangan Stud this week,” said Godolphin Flying Start Executive Director, Clodagh Kavanagh. “They will follow in the footsteps of the 248 alumni of the programme through Ireland, England, USA, Australia and Dubai experiencing the thoroughbred industry and learning as much as they can. As scholarship recipients, they are expected to be advocates for the programme and the industry, having a positive impact on those around them.”
Jamie O'Connor from County Dublin and Emma Hunter from County Cork are the team leaders for the first Irish phase.
“We are both grateful and delighted to be commencing Godolphin Flying Start,” O'Connor and Hunter said in a joint statement. “The opportunity it provides is truly extraordinary; the chance to learn from global industry leaders, further our academic development and our experience in the thoroughbred industry. We have really enjoyed our first few days in Kildangan and can't wait to see what's in store for us over the next two years.”
The 2025 – 2027 trainees:
- Luke O'Neill, Ireland
- Saad Saidi, Morocco
- Kitty Ashby, UK
- Tara Carroll, Ireland
- Adrian Redondo, Spain
- Jamie O'Connor, Ireland
- Mageswar Periasamy Vishakan, India
- Harry Winnard, UK
- Emma Dillon, Ireland
- Callum Jeffries, New Zealand
- Raphael McCall, UK
- Emma Hunter, Ireland
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
