WE felt like a fresh bunch of fillies and colts lining up for our first maiden race, upon arriving at Kildangan Stud for the commencement of Darley Flying Start. It’s fair to say a bunch of us have had some quality breaking-in from all corners of the globe, but nothing could have prepped us for such an incredible ride.

Briefly, we consist of six Americans, two Irish and one Spaniard, Chinese, Singaporean and Australian. There are eight women and four men with varied interests and career ambitions but one unified passion for thoroughbred horses. That’s it in short. Traditionally, this article will take you through some of the highlights of the phase but, my word, it’s hard to pick. I’ll categorise them into two different areas; racing and cultural experiences, with a couple of examples of each.

Firstly, racing is synonymous with Ireland and we certainly have witnessed some outstanding racehorses. Irish Champions Weekend may only be in its infancy but in 2015 it still hosted horses that went on to win the Dewhurst Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and most notably the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. It was, by the length of a straight, the best racing we experienced in Ireland.

The standout race was the Irish Champion Stakes that showcased racing theatre at its finest. From the pre-race hype of whether Gleneagles would run, to Frankie Dettori’s controversial winning ride on Golden Horn, it was a race that will be hard to top and won’t soon be forgotten.

Laytown Races was another sight to behold. I most certainly didn’t expect to see Irish folk lining the beach, let alone in autumn. The sounds of the horses thundering along the sand and the waves crashing in the horizon made for memorable race-viewing. It was a low-key vibe and accommodating of all walks of life, even the odd dog on a leash. It was one of the more enjoyable evenings of our Irish phase.

However, despite the joys of Irish racing - and the privilege of breaking in our first yearlings and attend the prestigious Goffs Orby Sale - the cultural experiences of Ireland were of equal significance.

First and foremost, I think all of the foreigners have added the word “grand” into their everyday vocabulary along with “craic”, “fair play to ya” and “thanks a million”. It probably doesn’t sound as natural but they’re infectious terms that now have a resounding presence amongst the Darley Flying Start 2015-’17 trainees.

I don’t think you can talk about Irish culture without talking about the weather. We expected ‘the going’ to be yielding to soft at best but in fact it was weather you’d expect at the beginning of summer. Even after weeks of sunny, dry weather, I was still very cautious about the infamous isolated showers that tend to last for days.

We were fortunate to attend Conor McPherson’s The Night Alive at the Gaiety Theatre during the Dublin Theatre Festival, eat a traditional Irish pub meal, and be in town during the Rugby World Cup. We gained an insight into the diversity and hybrid nature of Irish culture.

Finally, our project for the first phase was to analyse the very exciting Curragh redevelopment plans. It’s about time the world class racing at the Curragh had facilities of equal standard. We were blown away with the design and are excited to return in 2017 to, hopefully, see how the project has progressed.

In conclusion, it’s hard to imagine we’ve experienced so much and it’s only our first leg of Darley Flying Start. The course has surpassed our expectations as it’s allowed all 12 of us to ask questions to people we only dreamt of meeting, attend race meets that we only thought we’d see on television, and travel the world experiencing different cultures There was no better place to start than Ireland and, although we’ve passed the finishing post of the Darley Flying Start Irish Maiden, we’ve only raced our first furlong for Darley Flying Start and have a lot to learn over the next two years and beyond.

Until next time, “thanks a million” Ireland.

See darleyflyingstart.com for more information on the programme