2011 Trainee Views

Kentucky, January 2012

Before our departure from Newmarket the weather gods had one last treat for us, a light dusting of snow as we cleaned the house and packed our bags to depart. Many of us headed home for the holidays but one lucky trainee got to spend part of his break basking in the sun in Barcelona. While some of us may not have made it to Kentucky with a tan we were all excited to get to the Bluegrass State. Many of the trainees rang in the New Year in Kentucky, one was lucky enough to attend the heated basketball game between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville on New Year’s Eve. Once we had all arrived safely in Lexington, some later than others thanks to airline delays, we began to settle into our new apartments and started getting a feel for the “Horse Capital of the World” where everything is faster and bigger.

Our time on the course officially began with some amazing tours of the Darley farms in the region. The visits started with Jonabell on the outskirts of Lexington then to Gainsborough and Dubai Millennium in the heart of Woodford County and concluded with a trip to Paris to see Stonerside and Raceland Farms. We were given some wonderful advice and insight into Darley America by the managers there and we cannot thank them enough for their time. We look forward to learning more from them throughout the next 6 months. In addition to our farm visits we viewed the stallions at Jonabell with stallion manager Charlie Boden. We were all extremely impressed with the recent import from down under, Lonhro, much to the chagrin of one particular trainee. On Thursday we had a lovely lunch with members of Darley’s management as well as some important figures in the Darley Flying Start community including board member John Williams and Darley Flying Start graduate Kate Galvin.

Our week concluded with a busy Friday that included a trip to Keeneland’s training center to see Johnny Burke and Darley’s rehabilitation center. Johnny’s knowledge about horses is second to none and we all realized how much was in store for our upcoming rotations. After this we made our way across town to tour Hagyard Equine Medical Institute’s state of the art facilities and have a talk from Dr. Rhonda Rathgeber about the role of the vet at an American sale in preparation for the January Horses of All Ages sale at Keeneland. Following this we headed to Fasig-Tipton to see our first American sales facility and to enjoy an interesting and thought provoking discussion with Dan Pride and Reed Ringler.

At the weekend many of us took advantage of the incredibly mild weather and headed out to Keeneland to begin looking at some of the stock being offered the following week. During our week at the sales we spent time with the Darley nominations team, vets from Hagyards as well as many notable bloodstock agents. Throughout the week we visited several open houses and saw many top stallions both active and retired including the great AP Indy and Kingmambo.

Another highlight of our second week in Kentucky was our meetings with Jimmy Bell in small groups at which we were able to discuss everything from racing in America to South American markets and learn more about Darley America. The next few weeks will be packed with excitement as we begin our module at the Kentucky Horseshoeing School and an Equine Nutrition course at the University of Kentucky. Also on the agenda are visits to see many great farms including a trip to Overbrook Farm to see the incredible sire Storm Cat. We have had an extraordinary welcome to America with the weather remaining warm and sunny until the end of our time at the sales. Unfortunately Old Man Winter then decided it was time to visit the bluegrass and gave us our first real chill and snow. We are looking forward to all that Kentucky and the course have to offer in the upcoming months under the guidance of our excellent coordinator Tammy Masterson.

Sarah Fishback and Sebastien Desmontils

Click here for a list of all 2010 trainee views

Emma and Madoka with Curlin