THE transition from Ireland to England came easier than this Darley Flying Start trainee expected. A change in currency, adjusting to new accents and allowing the horse the right of way haven’t caused personal upheaval yet. I’d say the biggest transition has been forcing all 12 of us into one house for the seven weeks we are based here. Although, given the house has eight bedrooms and massive living areas, it is hardly a squash! My family and friends in the States all asked for video footage, expecting a ‘real world Newmarket’ atmosphere. Hopefully, there aren’t cameras hidden throughout the house! I don’t think we 12 trainees are dramatic enough for reality television anyway.

Since our time in Newmarket is short, our schedule is jam-packed to ensure we learn and experience as much as possible while living in this industry influenced town. We are separated into three groups of four for weekly rotations between the British Racing School, Darley pre-training and the Dalham Hall offices. We spend our mornings based in each location weekly and our afternoons are filled with visits and lectures. We are incredibly fortunate to tour some of the best organisations in the English industry including stud farms, veterinary hospitals, racecourses and training yards, not to mention meeting some of the best professionals in the sport.