From Kentucky to the Hunter: Godolphin Flying Start lands in Australia

Cover image courtesy of Godolphin

The 12 trainees in the 2025–27 Godolphin Flying Start class arrived in Australia last month, beginning the latest leg of a two-year education across some of the world’s major Thoroughbred jurisdictions.

Ireland’s Tara Carroll and Emma Dillon, Britain’s Kitty Ashby and Harry Winnard, and New Zealand’s Callum Jeffries each found their way to Flying Start through different routes, but all saw the program as a chance to build a career in the industry.

For Jeffries, it had been the goal since he was 16.

“To get in last year, I was chuffed, I started crying on the phone,” he said. “It’s just something you have always wanted, but you never really quite expect to get on. I feel so privileged to get this opportunity.”

A global education

The class began in Ireland and Britain late last year before spending five and a half months in the United States.

For Ashby, who undertook her externship with Starlight Racing, that meant exposure to everything from the Preakness and Belmont Stakes to Royal Ascot and the 2-year-old sales.

“Just seeing the American way of doing things was so amazing,” she said. “I got to spend five weeks with Starlight, which was amazing - they took me to the Preakness and the Belmont, and to Royal Ascot when they had a filly called More Champagne running. We also went to the 2-year-old sales together.

“I just got to be fully immersed in all parts of their decision-making process. They're so knowledgeable, and they've been in the industry for so long. They were great people to learn from.”

Jeffries became the first Flying Start trainee to spend his US externship at Claiborne Farm.

“I spent every day with the Hancocks and Bradley Purcell, the farm manager, and it was just surreal,” he said.

“You are seeing scenes from the movie Secretariat wherever you go. You walk past plaques for maybe 20 breed-shaping stallions - Danzig, Bold Ruler, Mr Prospector - that appear in pedigrees around the world, and those plaques are polished every day. It was just awesome.”

The chance to understand what different markets value has also changed how he looks at bloodstock.

“It has been so interesting to see the different physical types and to go around with different people and learn what they are looking for,” he said. “The Americans like a straight leg, so I would be thinking of that if I sourced a mare from the States. Just to learn those small differences in what everyone is looking for is something I will take with me for the rest of my life.”

Winnard used his time in the US to extend his education beyond his formal placements.

“I had the opportunity to meet Brendan Walsh through the course and then to go and spend some of my free time in his barn, learning from him,” he said.

“That’s another really brilliant aspect of the course - I was able to broaden my knowledge in areas around training, not just on the training itself. I got to see a slightly different side of the industry to where I have worked before.”

And for Dillon, simply watching American horses train was an education.

“I loved going to Keeneland in the mornings and watching the horses work on the dirt,” she said. “It’s so different to how it is done in Ireland.”

The Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby were another standout.

“The atmosphere at the Kentucky Oaks and the Derby was just like nothing else I've ever experienced,” Ashby said.

”I think there were about 150,000 people at the Derby. Watching the walkover for both the Oaks and the Derby was just incredible, you could really feel the passion in the crowd and how beloved the race is. It was everywhere. You'd even walk into the local supermarket a month before and they would have Kentucky Derby merchandise for sale.”

Welcome to Australia

The cohort arrived in the Hunter Valley just ahead of the annual stallion parade weekend, providing an immediate introduction to the Australian breeding industry.

“It was really cool how much of a spectacle the whole weekend was,” said Dillon.

“At Newgate, I loved seeing the way each stallion was presented that really reflected their personality. The stallions are quite different to the ones we have at home, so it was great to see the types of horses here in the flesh.”

For Winnard, the biggest lesson was how deliberately Australian farms turn the stallion parades into an event.

“It is entertainment, and the Australian studs understand that,” he said. “You need to attract people to racing, and just pulling a horse out of a field isn’t entertaining. It’s been made into a proper event here.”

The trainees also helped at Godolphin’s public stallion parade, selling hats to benefit National Thoroughbred Week.

“The parades had this amazing ‘gates are open, everyone’s welcome’ atmosphere,” said Ashby.

“We were selling hats to benefit National Thoroughbred Week and it was so interesting to talk to so many people who were just local to the area, who drive past the gates every day and now have this opportunity to come inside and see what’s going on. I thought it was brilliant.”

The Godolphin Flying Start trainees will continue that support by hosting a fundraising event for National Thoroughbred Week during their Australian stint.

A different way of doing things

Their first placements have also exposed the trainees to some distinctly Australian approaches to breeding and horse management.

Ashby spent her first two weeks at Godolphin’s Woodlands farm.

“Woodlands is so historic and so beautiful,” she said. “For me personally, I was driving in every day and thinking, ‘this is just amazing’. It makes me very grateful to be on this course. If it wasn't for the Flying Start, I just wouldn't have seen or done half the things I have.”

Carroll, meanwhile, spent time at Catriona and Royston Murphy’s Sledmere Stud, where outdoor foaling and the way horses are managed in paddocks stood out.

“It’s fascinating to learn their routines,” she said. “I think the horses are much happier foaling outside, it’s a lot more natural. I really enjoyed seeing that aspect of things.”

“I have found it so interesting how everything lives out, even in winter,” said Dillon. “Everything is in yards where practical, it makes things so much simpler.”

Carroll was also interested in the staffing differences.

“It is also really interesting to compare the staffing to back home,” Carroll said. “You don’t need as many here, the setup makes it possible with a smaller team.”

But perhaps the strongest impression has come from the willingness of Australians to give young people responsibility.

“Down here, it feels like everyone is very willing to give a young person a shot,” said Winnard. “I think that is one of the biggest positives of the industry here, and I experienced it first hand with Gai and Adrian when I was here before - I got to travel with horses to the Brisbane carnival, to Adelaide and Tasmania.

“They saw I was interested and gave me the opportunity to take on more responsibility. It was incredible and one of the best experiences I've ever had in the industry.”

Jeffries has noticed the same thing since coming back to Australia.

“Coming back to Australia with Flying Start, it just reiterates how good the people are in the industry, and how this is really a place where, if you work hard and you show real interest, people will back you and push you to improve,” said Jeffries. “You don’t need to be the most skilled person in the world, you just have to have that drive and you will be recognised.”

Learning from the best

The Australian leg has already given the cohort access to some of the country’s leading industry figures.

A meeting with Arrowfield Stud’s John Messara particularly resonated.

“We had an excellent meeting with John Messara, he really spent a lot of time talking to us very openly about different issues within the industry and how he thinks he should tackle them, and also how he thinks he's achieved the success that he has had,” Ashby said. “He really gave us a lot of time and imparted a lot of knowledge onto us.”

For Jeffries, the meeting carried particular weight.

“John Messara is like meeting the prime minister for me,” said Jeffries. “I was surprised that we got to meet him, and he was so generous with his time. It was incredible how open and willing he was with us, and the advice he gave us.”

Carroll took something more specific from the discussion.

“John Messara was so interesting, he spoke to us about having integrity and thinking long-term,” Carroll said. “You have to value every relationship, and you should never be afraid to ask for advice when you need it.”

Former Godolphin Flying Start graduate Henry Field was another who made an impression when the cohort visited Newgate.

“Henry Field was really interesting to talk to,” Carroll said. “We visited Newgate for their stallion parade and we were able to receive a talk from Henry. Hearing him talk about going through the Flying Start and what little he started off with, to compare to what he has now, I think it’s a real testament to the kind of person he is.

“He’s quite a determined, proactive person and I feel like I took a lot from hearing him speak. You have to not be afraid to take risks. If you believe in it, why shouldn't it work?”

For Jeffries, Field’s story captured something important about the program itself.

“That is something the Flying Start does for you,” said Jeffries. “You always have these big goals in the back of your mind that sometimes feel almost embarrassing to admit, but then you get on the Flying Start and they give you the resources and skills and say, ‘you can do it’. That’s what Henry Field has been able to do.”

Dillon, whose first Australian placement was at Newgate, was equally struck by the access.

“The time you get with people like that is very precious,” she said. “Especially when they are not just telling you things, but they are also trying to get you to share your opinion and to talk about your thoughts. Henry was all about working towards the next step, and about bettering his people and his processes. It was a very cool experience.”

Spring ahead

The cohort has now completed a week of leadership training in Sydney and returned to the Hunter Valley ahead of its next round of placements and Australian externships.

It also leaves them perfectly placed to experience Australian spring racing, with the Cox Plate, The Everest and Melbourne Cup ahead.

“There is so much to look forward to,” Carroll said. “It was such a great experience last time and I am looking forward to seeing it from a different perspective. I am looking forward to more of the spring racing too - it’s a really exciting time to be in Australia at the moment, with the Cox Plate and the Everest and the Melbourne Cup coming up.”

For Jeffries, spring racing in Sydney has its own unmistakable feel.

“I’m looking forward to everyone getting to experience spring racing,” said Jeffries.

“Once the spring carnival is properly here, there’s just a whole different vibe to the city in Sydney. Everyone is going racing on Saturday - if you went out in Sydney in a suit on a Saturday, people know you've been racing. If you went out in a suit somewhere else, they might think you've come from a business function!”