The 2025-2027 Godolphin Flying Start trainees arrived at Kildangan Stud on Monday, August 18th to commence their two-year scholarship within the Thoroughbred industry.
The class comprises trainees from six different nationalities, including Spain, Morocco, India, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. Next week, they will commence ICT and Communications training and their Equine Anatomy and Physiology module at University College Dublin.
Godolphin Flying Start Executive Director, Clodagh Kavanagh, said, "We welcomed our 23rd Godolphin Flying Start class to Kildangan Stud this week. They will follow in the footsteps of the 248 alumni of the programme through Ireland, England, USA, Australia, and Dubai, experiencing the thoroughbred industry and learning as much as they can. As scholarship recipients, they are expected to be advocates for the programme and the industry, having a positive impact on those around them."
Jamie O'Connor from County Dublin and Emma Hunter from County Cork are the team leaders for the first Irish phase. They said, "We are both grateful and delighted to be commencing Godolphin Flying Start. The opportunity it provides is truly extraordinary; the chance to learn from global industry leaders, further our academic development and our experience in the thoroughbred industry. We have really enjoyed our first few days in Kildangan and can't wait to see what's in store for us over the next two years."
The 2025 - 2027 trainees:
Luke O'Neill, Ireland
Saad Saidi, Morocco
Kitty Ashby, UK
Tara Carroll, Ireland
Adrian Redondo, Spain
Jamie O'Connor, Ireland
Mageswar Periasamy Vishakan, India
Harry Winnard, UK
Emma Dillon, Ireland
Callum Jeffries, New Zealand
Raphael McCall, UK
Emma Hunter, Ireland
