AT the time of writing this I must confess to feeling a little nostalgic thinking back to this time last year.

That sinking dread, when walking into the office of Henry Plumbtre at Darley Australia for the Darley Flying Start 2014-2016 interviews, with just a faint sense of anticipation as to what could be… Where has the time gone?

The last month on the course has seen the continuation of our morning rotations between Darley’s main office departments, Gainsborough Farm foal watch, Jonabell Farm stallion shed, Keeneland pre-training facility and completing rounds with veterinary professionals at Hagyard Veterinary Clinic. And that’s just the morning schedule.

Of an afternoon we have been kept on our toes with finance and equine nutrition classes at the University of Kentucky, legal presentations at Stoll Keenon Ogden law firm, presentations from some of the industry’s brightest minds, including Dr Nathan Slovis from Hagyard Veterinary and Roger Allman of The Farm Clinic Inc., and visits to leading stud farms such as Three Chimneys, Calumet and Ashford Stud, just to name a few.

Each year the end of March brings about Florida’s feature race day at the picturesque Gulfstream Park for the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, and in light of the event we were fortunate enough to be given time off to travel down for the big day.

With a special thanks to Lexington local, Steven ‘Stu’ Hampson, who put together the four-day itinerary, we were able to not only fit in the upper echelon of racing in Florida but also managed to visit some of the finest training and breeding facilities in the region, including Stonestreet Stables, Besilu Stables, Payson Park and Palm Meadows.

After arriving late Wednesday night, we began our trip early Thursday morning with a trip to Ocala to meet Darley Flying Start graduate, Colin Brennan, who since graduation has taken the role of assistant trainer and racing manager of Stonestreet Stables’ pre-training operation which is home to some of the best bred juvenile horses in America, for the likes of Coolmore and WinStar Farm etc.

That afternoon the team at Besilu Stables, headed by another Darley Flying Start graduate in Fabricio Bufollo, showed us around their impeccable breeding and training facilities culminating in some of the trainees having a ride on their Paso Fino show horses, an eye opener to say the least, I certainly have never seen a horse’s feet move so fast!

Friday morning saw us venture out to Payson Park to meet Christophe and Charlotte Clement and their string, including Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, a full-brother to Declaration Of War, War Correspondent, and French import Beauty Parlour, all of which we were able to witness during morning track work before the latter two came out to claim Grade 3 victories the following day at Gulfstream Park (to the delight of all the trainees who backed them both!).

This visit culminated in a welcoming lunch put on by Valerie Clement at their home in Indiantown, a memorable experience all round and one we were very grateful to the Clement family for.

Our time in Florida finished up with a visit to Kiaran McLaughlin’s stable at Palm Meadows training facility, currently home to Godolphin’s Kentucky Derby hopeful, Frosted, who we were all fortunate enough to watch work alongside Neal McLaughlin, Kiaran’s brother and second in charge to his operation. Both brothers are absolute gentleman and were only too happy to pass on their knowledge of the industry to us.

A special thanks must go out to all of the above mentioned for taking time out of their busy schedules this time of year to accommodate us all, it is certainly appreciated and has been an experience we will not be forgetting anytime soon.

I still have to pinch myself at times when rubbing shoulders with the likes of Christophe Clement and Kiaran McLaughlin, and to think that we have another 15 months ahead of us is nothing short of exhilarating. But in the meantime we have plenty to look forward to in the coming months in the US.

First and foremost we are all anticipating the return of racing to iconic Keeneland. This will give us the chance to not only witness further top class American racing but also provide the opportunity to experience the governing aspect of a day’s racing with Keeneland’s team of stewards.

This has proven to be a highlight on previous courses and is something that we are all thoroughly looking forward to come April. The first weekend in May is also creeping over the horizon, with the points based field starting to take shape for the Kentucky Derby, an experience I’ll most certainly be crossing off the bucket list.

While our time on the course is flying along without a sign of slowing down in the coming month, I have got to say that quite frankly, why would you want it to?

Best of luck to all the applicants currently undergoing interviews for the 2015-2017 Darley Flying Start, I can tell you now that the momentary discomfort of the interview process is definitely worth the trouble.

Visit darleyflyingstart.com for more information on Darley Flying Start