MY journey in the thoroughbred industry began back in January 2018. If you were to tell my 22-year-old self back then that the road I was about to embark on would lead to me securing a place on Godolphin Flying Start I’m sure I’d have said not in my wildest dreams.

At that stage, I was doing a Bachelor of Business Studies, majoring in economics and finance, with no involvement in the industry bar my love of racing. During my final year of college, I began working for Richard O’Brien Racing to gain some experience and get closer to the action.

Since then I was fortunate to have worked for the likes of Rathmore Stud, Hillwood Stud and Ballylinch Stud, as well as travelling to Australia to work for Yarraman Park Stud and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing. I also graduated from the Irish National Stud Thoroughbred Breeding Course in 2019.

I commenced the Godolphin Flying Start programme in August 2020 and have completed phase 1 and 2 of the course from Ireland, with the UK phase being completed virtually from Kildangan Stud.

Virtual learning

Over the next six months, my fellow trainees and I will be immersing ourselves in all things US racing and breeding. We have commenced the USA phase virtually.

However, the course content and learning opportunities haven’t suffered one bit. While we remain hopeful that we will be in Lexington, Kentucky in the coming weeks/months, the show must go on and thanks to the hard work of the Godolphin Flying Start team (and Zoom) we’ve been able to attend all of our lectures, presentations and virtual visits.

The USA phase offers eight of us our first taste of the American thoroughbred industry, so we’re all very excited to see what’s in store.

Applications for the 2021 intake are now open and will close on February 8th. I cannot recommend the course to any aspiring industry leader highly enough. The opportunities and experiences it offers are unparalleled in the thoroughbred industry worldwide.

Application tips

  • Your CV and cover letter are your best chance to showcase your suitability for the programme. If you’re struggling for writing space, focus on relevance and the experience that adds the greatest value to your application.
  • Showing some direction is helpful. While you’re not expected to know where you see yourself working in the industry, I would recommend mentioning what area really interests you.
  • For the video element of your application, make sure you are presented well and answer the question you are asked. It’s important to come across as being friendly and relaxed, so body language is key.

    • If anyone has any queries about the programme feel free to contact any of the current trainees or management team, all of whose details can be found on www.godolphinflyingstart.com