Godolphin Flying Start

They say that life is what happens to us when we're busy making other plans. But even in a game where so much turns on chance, for better or worse, you can't just throw your hands up and leave it all to fate. After all, the countervailing dynamic to life on a horse farm is unchangingly cyclical: foaling, mating, breaking, prepping, to everything there is a season. Within those patterns, sure, we know to expect much unpredictability. But that's how horses teach us the long game, to be patient and...

The 2023-2025 Godolphin Flying Start trainees began their two-year programme at Kildangan Stud in Ireland on Aug. 14. A total of five different nationalities are represented among the students, including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the USA. The complete list of 2023-2025 trainees are: Mitchell Whelan, New Zealand Harrison Everett, Australia Sean Cooper, Ireland Anna Cahill, Ireland George Connolly, Ireland Sam Baker, Ireland Johnny Marsh, UK Jake Swinburn, UK Daisy Fenwick, USA Gerard Donworth, Ireland Harper McVey, USA Claire Wilson, USA Godolphin Flying Start Executive Director, Clodagh Kavanagh,...

The Godolphin Flying Start programme celebrated its 20th anniversary with an alumni award ceremony and conference at the Legacy Suite at the K Club on June 29. The conference, "Impact and Influence", attracted over 100 graduates from around the world. During the prelude, the focus was on His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin Charitable Initiatives led by Godolphin Flying Start Chair Joe Osborne. Diana Cooper, Godolphin's Strategic Adviser for Charities was also among the speakers, as was Lisa Jane Graffard (Class of 2005). Class of 2008 alum Gina Bryce hosted...

Nico Archdale has joined the team at ThoroughBid and will take on the role of consignment agent; responsible for primarily sourcing flat horses-in-training to be sold online as well as building relationships with trainers and consigners. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh and the Godolphin Flying Start Programme, Archdale brings expertise from both training establishments and bloodstock agencies in the UK and abroad including America, Australia, and Dubai. "ThoroughBid is a really exciting and innovative concept and I can't wait to get started. Horses are always there to be...

Gary King, the Senior Vice President at the Thoroughbred Daily News, was the winner of the Business Excellence Award at the Godolphin Flying Start Impact and Influence Conference alumni event Thursday night at the K Club in County Kildare, Ireland. "The fact that I was voted on by fellow graduates means an awful lot," said King in accepting the award, which is voted on by the approximately 250 graduates of the program. "A couple of the other award winners touched on it as well, that people recognized what you've done...

The graduation ceremony for the latest round of students to complete the Godolphin Flying Start programme took place last Friday at Kildangan Stud in Ireland. "On behalf of the global Godolphin team, I congratulate this graduating class and wish them success and encouragement for their futures in the thoroughbred industry," said Joe Osborne, managing director of Godplphin Ireland and a trustee of Godolphin Flying Start. Australian graduate Lachlan Pethica achieved the highest grade of a distinction award, heading a group of 12 trainees from six countries, including Elinor Wolf (USA),...

The latest intake of Godolphin Flying Start trainees for the 2023-2025 term was revealed by GFS on Wednesday. The two-year Thoroughbred Industry Management and Leadership Programme features trainees from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the U.S. Their course begins at Kildangan Stud, County Kildare, Ireland, on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The scholarship facilitates trainees to learn and experience practical horsemanship, management operations and leadership in the global Thoroughbred industry with phases in Ireland, the UK, the USA, Australia and Dubai. The course is accredited by University College Dublin...

Marie Rohaut has been named the new head of the France Galop/French Racing and Breeding Committee (FRBC) Owners' Department. Rohaut, a Godolphin Flying Star graduate, joined France Galop in the beginning of April. The daughter of Pau-based trainer Francois Rohaut, the 29-year-old was a co-creator of "Aux courses les jeunes" (Young people, let's go racing), and she also holds a Master's degree in entrepreneurship and international business. She gained work experience in Japan with the Yoshida family, as well as in Australia, Ireland and the UK. After her Flying Star...

Not many things last for 20 years these days. We live in a fast world, filled with quick fixes, often with little thought for longevity and sustainability. But still, there is great comfort to be found in a constant that stands up to the vagaries of time. One such example, which has steadfastly served our own industry for the past two decades is Godolphin Flying Start; the two-year scholarship which, every year, fully immerses 12 young enthusiasts into the Thoroughbred world on a global scale with the aim of creating...

Lindsay Schultz checked a lot of boxes. She is a graduate of the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program, moved on to the prestigious Godolphin Flying Start program, managed Glen Hill Farm in Florida and worked as an assistant to Tom Proctor and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Yet, she admits to being nervous and not knowing what to expect when she decided last fall to go out on her own as a trainer. Maybe she shouldn't have been. Less than a year after opening her stable, Schultz, 34,...

The 2022-2024 Godolphin Flying Start trainees started their course work at Kildangan Stud in Ireland on Aug. 15. Hailing from five different countries, the trainees are as follows: Annabel Adams, New Zealand Liam Cunningham, New Zealand Sarah Kelly, Ireland Orlaith Nangle, Ireland David O'Farrell, Ireland Megan O'Leary, Ireland Anne O'Rourke, UK Susannah Jeffery, UK Jamie Smith, UK Edmond Ryan, Ireland Alexander Sausville, USA Ben Triandafillou, Australia "We welcomed our 20th Godolphin Flying Start class to Kildangan Stud this week with great satisfaction, having continued with the programme through the challenges...

Jack Owens, the longest-serving board member of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, and executive director Mary Forney, will retire from the organization effective July 1. Jordyn Egan will assume the executive director role effective July 20. An owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds for more than 30 years, Owens races predominately in Northern California. His legal acumen has been invaluable to the TOC Board over the years, and he has worked tirelessly to advance and protect the interests of owners at the legislative and regulatory levels and in negotiations with other...