Few in our community knows all this better than Craig Bandoroff. His whole life has turned on fleeting episodes of good and bad luck, from the terrible spill that ended his career as a jockey to the serendipitous encounters at university-with a professor from another program, for instance, who reconciled him to a changed relationship with horses; and, above all, with his future wife-that ultimately adapted his gifts to the foundation of Denali Stud. At the same time, Bandoroff and his wife Holly have had many years to think about and plan for the transfer of responsibility for the business they built from scratch to their son Conrad.

As has quickly become apparent in this series, there's seldom a formal and specific moment of transition. But for the past couple of years Bandoroff has progressively backed into semi-retirement, with the combined benefit of expert counsel and his own reflection.

“I think the one thing I've learned in the process is that there's a reason a lot of successions don't work out,” he says. “And the reason is…because it's really hard to do! You need the right balance on both sides. The father has to be of the right mindset. And the son or daughter a) has to be capable; and b) has to be given the time to come into the position and become ready to take over. It's like a relay race. When you're starting out, the successor is the one waiting in the block. And eventually you get there and hand on the baton, and first they're one step away, then they're 10 steps away, and then they're gone.”

In the meantime, however, there's that critical moment when you might easily drop the baton and, to avoid that, for a few strides you both have to be flat out and in step.

“Exactly,” agrees Bandoroff. “Now we did hire a family consultant, to help us through it, and that was invaluable. But at the end of the day you have to do it your way because everybody's different, and every successor is different. So you just figure out the balance. But there are some real caveats. Really everybody says the same thing: at some point you have to give up the control, you can't hover over them. And the ones that don't make it are the fathers that didn't get out of the way, that just wouldn't vacate.”

Bandoroff didn't really have that problem, in that he was positively eager to gear down.

“What happened with me I've learned to be very common,” he says. “You just hit a wall. I was doing it all myself, there are a lot of moving parts, and you just reach the point where you say, 'Man, I'm not 40 anymore, I just can't keep going at the same pace.'”

Again, they were lucky in that Conrad had long manifested both desire and eligibility to take the legacy forward. Neither of those, of course, are ever guaranteed. Neither of Conrad's sisters had ever evinced any interest, instead discovering vocations that put the horse business in due perspective. One, for instance, is nursing at the prestigious Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

“Like I say: we sell horses, she saves lives,” Bandoroff says proudly. “And the other daughter works in government policy for an investment bank, really keeping track of the political stream. We joke that the girls obviously got the brains. But they didn't get the horse gene, and Conrad definitely did.”

And what if he hadn't?

“I guess then you just sell, you take the money and move on,” Bandoroff says with a shrug. “And, in all honesty, that's pretty much what I always expected to happen. But at a pretty early age Conrad showed that this was the direction he wanted to go. And after urging, pleading, begging him to do something else, once we made the commitment to him, it was, 'Okay, if you want to do this, then let's see if you can jump through all the hoops.”

Craig and Conrad Bandoroff | Keeneland

Over the years Bandoroff has seen plenty of people fail to meet this kind of challenge, and he put corresponding groundwork into the succession.

“I took it on with a sense that I had to do this right,” he says. “I was dealing with something that took Holly and me 30-plus years to build. That's a lot of sweat equity. And I'm dealing with my son. So we set out on a plan to give him the tools we thought he'd need to be successful. And he embraced everything we ever suggested.”

Both father and son acknowledge a huge debt to the Godolphin Flying Start program, which broadened Conrad's horizons so generously. Even those raised to the best standards at home can only benefit from seeing how other horsemen, in other environments, meet the universal challenges of the Thoroughbred. And Bandoroff, for his own part, not only consulted esteemed peers to borrow lessons learned in parallel situations; he even took a course at Harvard that included a module on succession and family business.

“Thirty years might not be nearly as long as some, but it's still a long time, especially when you've started from ground zero,” he says. “I think if you make the judgment that the successor is not capable, then you need a Plan B. But in our case I saw very clearly that the successor had all the tools. That doesn't mean it's easy. And of course you can think that, and then it doesn't happen. But in this case I feel it's happening. I see it.”

So how about those moments, in the transition, when there were the inevitable disagreements? You've renounced control, but this could be some question of strategy vital to the future of a business that involves everybody in the clan.

“Honestly, or maybe remarkably, Conrad and I have had very few lock-horn moments,” Bandoroff says. “But, yes, that's where you say to yourself, 'Look, I can't screw this up. Because if I do, not only am I screwing up the business that we built, but I'm screwing up my family.' I was never one to sit there and say, 'Oh gosh, look what I did and how wonderful it is.' But you want to keep this thing going. Which is harder: to build the business, or to keep it up there? And the answer is that both are hard. No question, whether it's Conrad or Walker Hancock or Bret Jones, they definitely had a big head start-but it's still really hard.”

The privileges of succession certainly come with commensurate burdens. The clients who lose their favorite mare, for instance: that call is now Conrad's to make.

“Yes it is!” Bandoroff exclaims with relief. “After a storm last year, we had a real bad call that had to be made. And I just sat there and said to myself, 'Well, I'm glad I don't have to pick up that phone.' I still have clients I'm closely involved with. But I've told Conrad, 'Look, you have to be the rainmaker now. I never enjoyed that part of it and I'm not going to do it anymore.' And he gets that. But that's where the pressure comes.

“Every once in a while there'll be something where you say to yourself, 'Hey, this is going to be a bumpy landing.' There was one time I could see from a distance it probably wasn't going to end well. But I made some big mistakes along the way, that cost me a lot, and I know that you don't forget those. The good news is that you're only ever a phone call away. There's going to be a day, hopefully quite a few years from now, where you're not. But at this stage I think we just try not to let the boat drift too far off course at any point. You're never going to let it crash, obviously. But in the end it's going to be harder for them to learn from mistakes, if you're not going to let them make any.”

All that said, when your life and your work have so long been conflated, you can't just sever yourself from decades of routine overnight. Bandoroff still starts every day with TDN, albeit nowadays a winter sanctuary in Bald Head Island, N.C., is embraced with a clearer conscience.

The Bandoroff men at Keeneland November | Keeneland

“At first, this word 'retirement' is out there like some panacea or some oasis in the desert,” he says. “And then you get there and, well, there's lots that's great, but you also realize how some of the stuff you're leaving behind is really important to you, too. So what makes handing off nice is that I had the opportunity to say, 'Look, I still do want to be involved in certain things and not in others.' I get to do what I want to do, when I want to do it; or what I have to do, when I have to do it. The good part is when the 'have to' is over, I go back to the 'want to' and that's the whole key. But as opposed to a CEO who retires from some company and it's over, I was able to do it on my terms. And that's working out great. That's still being able to go into the ring and buy a mare that could down the line maybe become a foundation type for us.”

Certainly Bandoroff is at pains to keep looking forward, and not to dwell on his own past, remarkable as it has been.

“Look, I think everybody knows the story about how my arm was paralyzed,” he says. “And yeah, there were a couple of years after that happened, it was a tough road and a long one. And thank God I had family to support me and help me get through it. And then by happenstance, at the University of Virginia I met this couple who had a farm and hunters and went out to visit them one day. And they said, 'Oh, come on, why don't you get on a horse?' And I did. That gene had gone dormant, but they got it reignited and then it all went in a different direction. And it's a crazy thing to say, but maybe it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Having glimpsed a path, he came to Kentucky for direction. His first mentor here was the “awesome” Fred Seitz; and then the man who was transforming the whole business, Lee Eaton. On top of that, it was transferring to college here that had enabled him to meet Holly.

“I always said that for me it was love at first sight, it just took her a little longer to be convinced,” he says with a grin. “If you don't like Holly, you don't like human beings. She's one of those angels without wings. But once we started our own operation, she had to learn the horse business or she was going to be a very lonely woman. Because it is all-consuming: not a lifestyle, but a life. So Holly embraced that, and became integral to everything that we were able to do. I can tell you, without Holly, there wouldn't have been a Denali Stud to hand off because I would just have just pissed somebody off and that would have been the end of it!”

Apart from anything else, of course, Holly has been a priceless pivot between her husband and son during this whole process of transition; and, moreover, she never let them forget that Conrad also has sisters.

“And rightly so,” Bandoroff says. “Conrad and I spend a lot of time together, do a lot of things together, but his sisters obviously have to be part of the equation. And we're very fortunate that the accountant that set it all up did so in such a way that everybody in the family was tied to the success of Denali Stud.”

One way or another, then, that split-second of disaster at Garden State Park in 1974 ultimately opened the door to a whole new life. Bandoroff impatiently dismisses pointless retrospection. What would have happened, had he renounced horses as intended when going to the University of Virginia? Or, before that, how far might he have gone as a jockey but for what happened?

“Who knows? Who cares, right?” he says with a shrug. “People said I had talent and, looking at the pictures, I look pretty good on a horse. Doesn't matter. Look, it's a good story and it turned out good.

“I'm not going to be arrogant and say we have pulled this off, but I will say that I couldn't be happier with where we are. Conrad has grown into the role as the leader of the company in every way I could hope. That gives me a sense of pride I can't really describe.”

That was enhanced by a note Bandoroff received from one of the great achievers of the global business, remarking that Conrad had clearly inherited his values.

“It's always been really important to me to raise horses in the manner that they have a chance to go on and be good horses,” he reflects. “And I think when people think of us, they associate us with quality. We've always wanted a person to walk up to that barn and say, 'I really like this horse-and these people have sold good horses before.'”

Bandoroff feels that our walk of life makes a rather better job of succession than most others.

“The statistics tell you that in the 'real' world a large percentage fail,” he says. “I think the success rate in our cottage population is very high. I think what makes it different, for us, is the land. There's something about both the land and the horse that's a little different from inheriting machines that push out widgets.

“One of the real joys now is that we can both be at the barn and, instead of somebody coming up to me, they go up to Conrad. Maybe for some people that would hurt their feelings. But, to me, it's the greatest feeling in the world. It took a long time to get to that spot.

“Conrad started with me eight years ago, which is honestly hard to believe. In many ways, he has the baton now and he's moving farther away on his own. I feel like he and Claire are the faces of Denali Stud now. It's their company. As I look out at the ocean, that's a wonderful thing to be able to say.”

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A total of five different nationalities are represented among the students, including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the USA. The complete list of 2023-2025 trainees are:

• Mitchell Whelan, New Zealand
• Harrison Everett, Australia
• Sean Cooper, Ireland
• Anna Cahill, Ireland
• George Connolly, Ireland
• Sam Baker, Ireland
• Johnny Marsh, UK
• Jake Swinburn, UK
• Daisy Fenwick, USA
• Gerard Donworth, Ireland
• Harper McVey, USA
• Claire Wilson, USA

Godolphin Flying Start Executive Director, Clodagh Kavanagh, said, “We welcomed our 21st Godolphin Flying Start class of 12 trainees to Kildangan Stud on August 14th. It is a milestone year for the programme, having had our 20-year reunion in Kildare in June which was attended by over 100 graduates. We look forward to collaborating with industry professionals to give the trainees opportunities to learn, complete externships, and gain employment in the future so that we may achieve our vision of being the source of influential leaders of the industry.”

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The conference, “Impact and Influence”, attracted over 100 graduates from around the world. During the prelude, the focus was on His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin Charitable Initiatives led by Godolphin Flying Start Chair Joe Osborne. Diana Cooper, Godolphin's Strategic Adviser for Charities was also among the speakers, as was Lisa Jane Graffard (Class of 2005). Class of 2008 alum Gina Bryce hosted the conference.

Other speakers during the evening included GFS Executive Director Clodagh Kavanagh; CEO of CPL, Lorna Conn; entrepreneur Heinrich Anhold, founder of Stable Lab; Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud (Class of 2010); Anna Jones, author of the book “Divide”; and Michael Hardy (2012).

The award winners of the night were:

• Rising Star Leadership Award: Annise Montplaisir (2021), the Executive Director of Amplify Horseracing
• Rising Star Business Award: Tim Donworth (2018), French trainer
• Leadership Excellence Award: Craig Rounsefell (2007), CEO of Boomer Bloodstock and Chair of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia
• Business Excellence Award: Gary King (2010), Senior Vice-President, Thoroughbred Daily News & President of TDN AusNZ.

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“ThoroughBid is a really exciting and innovative concept and I can't wait to get started. Horses are always there to be traded and ThoroughBid's online platform offers frequent opportunities for this in an efficient and transparent way,” said Archdale. “This platform can offer more free-flowing international trading as well. I'd like to see it increase the gateway between the UK and the rest of the world.”

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“The fact that I was voted on by fellow graduates means an awful lot,” said King in accepting the award, which is voted on by the approximately 250 graduates of the program. “A couple of the other award winners touched on it as well, that people recognized what you've done in the industry over the last 13 years. I graduated in 2010, and I've been with the TDN since then. I'm surrounded by such talented, hard-working people every day, and it's such an inspiration.”

The conference brought together 20 years of graduates from the program, an international management training program which spends two years teaching aspiring future industry leaders in various aspects of the field.

Other winners on the night were Annise Montplaisir, who won the Rising Leadership Award; Craig Rounsefell, who won the Leadership Excellence Award; and Tim Donworth, who won the Rising Star Business Award.

To wrap up the evening yesterday the peer voted Alumni Awards were presented to four worthy winners! pic.twitter.com/NAyndDlW4V

— Godolphin Flying Start (@FlyingStartNews) June 30, 2023

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“On behalf of the global Godolphin team, I congratulate this graduating class and wish them success and encouragement for their futures in the thoroughbred industry,” said Joe Osborne, managing director of Godplphin Ireland and a trustee of Godolphin Flying Start.

Australian graduate Lachlan Pethica achieved the highest grade of a distinction award, heading a group of 12 trainees from six countries, including Elinor Wolf (USA), James Keane (IRE), Christopher Moore (UK), Jessica Daw (UK), Taylor Owens (USA), Margaux Herinckx (UK), Shea Connolly (IRE), Charlie King (NZ), Vinzenz Schiergen (GER) Marcus Bird (UK) and Henry Morshead (UK).

Godolphin Flying Start Executive Director Clodagh Kavanagh welcomed guests from around the world and recalled the inspiration for the programme from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. Godolphin Flying Start, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, is accredited by the University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Business School as a Graduate Certificate in Management. The next opportunity to apply for the two-year programme is December 2023.

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The two-year Thoroughbred Industry Management and Leadership Programme features trainees from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the U.S. Their course begins at Kildangan Stud, County Kildare, Ireland, on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The scholarship facilitates trainees to learn and experience practical horsemanship, management operations and leadership in the global Thoroughbred industry with phases in Ireland, the UK, the USA, Australia and Dubai. The course is accredited by University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Business School as a Graduate Certificate in Management. The dozen trainees are as follows:

• Samuel Baker, Ireland
• Anna Cahill, Ireland
• Sean Cooper, Ireland
• Jake Swinburn, UK
• George Connolly, Ireland
• Johnny Marsh, UK
• Harrison Everett, Australia
• Daisy Fenwick, USA
• Mitchell Whelan, New Zealand
• Harper McVey, USA
• Gerard Donworth, Ireland
• Claire Wilson, USA

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One such example, which has steadfastly served our own industry for the past two decades is Godolphin Flying Start; the two-year scholarship which, every year, fully immerses 12 young enthusiasts into the Thoroughbred world on a global scale with the aim of creating future leaders who will, one day, bring the sport forward through best practice innovation and change.

Now celebrating its 20th Anniversary year, the true impact that the programme has had on the game is beginning to shine through. And central to its success and durability is Executive Director of Godolphin Flying Start, Clodagh Kavanagh, whose firm but fair leadership style has also stood the test of time.

It is a firmness that earns the respect required to ensure that 24 trainees–often located on opposite sides of the world–will always turn up to work on time and (nearly) never miss an assignment deadline. Coupled with a fairness that can read a situation from 1000 miles away and invariably find the best solution.

With a tendency to be always looking forward, rather than back, Kavanagh recently took time to reflect on what has become an institution over the past 20 years.

“The concept for Godolphin Flying Start stemmed from the idea that great leaders can come from anywhere, with any type of background and training,” she says. “To ensure the longevity and sustainability of horseracing and for it to hold its place in the world of sport and business, we needed a conduit for people from all over the globe, with an interest in the sport to learn and experience it on a global scale, whilst being equipped with the leadership and management skills to become future Thoroughbred industry leaders.

“Diversity was always a key part of the plan too and it was essential for its success that we find people from different parts of the world who were passionate about the sport, no matter what their background or whether they came from a racing nation. Creating a vehicle for these individuals to learn and bring horseracing forward through strong leadership was what it set out to achieve.”

Fast-forward to the present day and it would seem that initial plans for Godolphin Flying Start have held strong. There are now over 200 graduates from 20 nations, 50% of whom are leading various sectors of the industry as CEOs, managers, business owners, directors and entrepreneurs.

On the subject of whether the programme has achieved what it set out to, Kavanagh says, “It probably took 10 years to see if it was achieving some success in terms of leadership. Because it's a two-year course, the earliest graduates would have been seven or eight years out of the programme by that stage and they needed that amount of time to achieve career success and be in positions where they had the confidence and influence to lead.

“So, I think it took 10 years to test whether it was starting to work, and I think after 20 years we can definitely say that we have attracted a very diverse group of people; that the programme has given them the training and opportunities required to achieve personal success and begin leading the industry through voluntary positions and developing new initiatives.”

When it comes to this success, Kavanagh is quick to deflect praise onto others, whether that be an extremely engaged board of trustees, the generous and steadfast sponsorship from Godolphin, or the numerous partners involved with providing lectures, externships and a deeper understanding of the industry from a practical perspective.

It is true that without the support of a great number of people, Godolphin Flying Start would never have lasted or thrived for as long as it has, but a huge part of its longevity has also been down to its ability to adapt.

The nuts and bolts of it have remained the same. It has always been five countries over two years and essentially Godolphin-based and -sponsored, but it is in its nuances that it has adapted in the last 20 years, crucially upholding its relevance in an ever-changing world.

“In terms of adapting and changing,” says Kavanagh, “I think there are probably three key elements. One is that generations change and their expectations and their needs change, so something like introducing a wellbeing module in recent years has been important.

“Secondly, the world has changed around horseracing and Godolphin Flying Start, particularly with technology and communications. It has been essential for us to keep up with other industries in this area and it is something we have invested a lot into, be that through our online platform, using Zoom for meetings or creating an online rather than paper application process.

“Finally, from an industry perspective, the development of partnerships with leading stud farms and trainers all over the world for practical experience and externships has helped to bring the course forward enormously. That's been one of the biggest changes since the start.”

Of all the challenges presented over the years–not least maintaining control of two-dozen twenty-somethings on different sides of the planet–Kavanagh cites maintaining high standards to be the toughest.

“Godolphin Flying Start has set visions and values for itself and its trainees which is a constant stretch for myself and the people that work on the programme,” she notes. “We strive to be the best education and training from a personal development and professional development perspective. To be the best in the world, not just the best in horseracing but the best in the world.”

Not one to dwell on her own achievements, when asked of what she is most proud, Kavanagh is keen to shift the focus.

“I'm very proud of the resilience and the innovation to be able to not just survive but to continuously improve and adapt over 20 years and maintain the level of applications,” she says. “Just to still be here after 20 years is an achievement in itself. However, there's no doubt that the thing I am most proud of are the graduates and their achievements. In particular the Alumni Award winners in recent years.”

The Alumni Awards, to which Kavanagh refers, have been in existence since 2015. They are voted for by peers to reward graduates that have shown “Business Excellence” or “Leadership Excellence” in their careers thus far. The winners–to name only a few–include director of the Irish National Stud, Cathal Beale; Vicky Leonard, whose Kick Collective is shaking up marketing in the Southern Hemisphere; Henry Field, managing director of Newgate Farm which is home to 13 stallions; and Classic-winning trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.

It is through this, now vast, network of alumni that the legacy of Godolphin Flying Start will live on, far longer than its initial 20 years.

As Kavanagh explains, “An effective alumni network really has two functions. It is the connection and support for the alma mater whereby graduates are actively still involved with the programme through providing lectures, visits, mentoring and even employing other graduates. The other job of the alumni network is the creation of a community whereby they are there to support and challenge each other, to do business together and share experiences and information.”

Attendance at any international bloodstock sale provides evidence of the Godolphin Flying Start alumni network in action. Be they consignors, agents, trainers, stallion managers, media or sales company staff, there is invariably a huge melting pot of those coming together to do business.

But the benefit of this network now goes far beyond just business relationships. With the privilege of shared unique experiences comes with it strong common ground, forming the basis for great friendships. Away from the sales toppers or group winners, many of life's other big milestones have been celebrated and among a spider's web of connections will be best friends, confidants, housemates, husbands, wives, parents and godparents.

The opportunity to look back and celebrate all that Godolphin Flying Start has accomplished in its two decades will take place at the 20th Anniversary Conference in Ireland on June 29, a date nestled smartly in the calendar between Royal Ascot and the Irish Derby.

“I think that we'll have a hundred alumni at the conference, which would be the greatest gathering of graduates ever,” Kavanagh says. “I expect that there will be an amazing dynamic and energy in the room because from my experience of running the other conferences–of which there have been four–the camaraderie, conversation and business that goes on, not necessarily facilitated by the conference itself, is just amazing.”

The theme of the event will be around business and leadership, with a presence of CEOs and entrepreneurs who have disrupted or created change in their own business sectors. The 2023 Alumni Awards will then be presented before a gala dinner.

Kavanagh adds, “It will be an opportunity to cement friendships, make new friends, do business, come up with ideas and continue professional development. But mostly it will be a great celebration and a time to show appreciation for the opportunity that everyone involved in Godolphin Flying Start has benefitted from. It will be a tribute to the legacy of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed to the industry.”

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Less than a year after opening her stable, Schultz, 34, is making a name for herself at Monmouth Park, where she has six winners from 22 starters for a winning rate of 22%. Overall in her brief career, she is 11 for 61, good for 18%.

“This is definitely beyond my expectations,” she said. “I have exceeded my goals.”

Schultz rode hunter-jumpers while growing up in Connecticut and enrolled in the racing program at the University of Louisville. It was not, however, until she entered the Godolphin program that she decided she wanted to be a trainer.

“I knew I wanted to be in the industry, but didn't know exactly what,” she said. “When I went into the Flying Start program I got to see every aspect of the industry and decided I wanted to focus on the racing part. Once I started working for Tom Proctor as his assistant, I thought maybe I could do this myself and do a good job.”

Along the way, she caught the attention of Marshall Gramm, who runs the Ten Strike Racing Partnership. Schultz and bloodstock advisor Liz Crow are close friends and Crow has had a long and fruitful business relationship with Ten Strike. Gramm has helped a number of young trainers kick off their careers and, in Schultz, he saw someone he was happy to take a chance on.

“I was talking to her around this time last year and it was clear she was at a stage where she was about to go out on her own,” Gramm said. “We had discussions about it last summer and I told her that if she was going to do it she should come to Oaklawn Park and that I could use her there. I told her that it would be a good place to start and I thought I could really help here there. It's a track I want to win at.”

“That I had the backing of Ten Strike and Marshall was huge,” Schultz said. “It's a good feeling to have someone who is so intelligent put his faith in me and helped me get started. It really meant a lot. The opportunity that he gave me was the biggest reason why I thought it was a good time to try this.”

Gramm didn't exactly hand her the keys to a 50-horse stable filled with stakes horses. Schultz told him she thought she could get by if Ten Strike gave her six to seven horses and she was fine with taking on claimers. Her first winner came with a $10,000 claimer at Oaklawn, Capture the Glory (Scat Daddy). Another winner at Oaklawn came with Tiger Moon (Upstart). Schultz talked Gramm into claiming him for $10,000 out of a maiden claiming race. She bumped him up to a $40,000 maiden claimer for his next start and he won at 29-1. (Gramm, an astute and enthusiastic horseplayer said he did not have a bet that day on Tiger Moon).

What Gramm did give her was the chance to prove that she could make the most of an opportunity.

It was Gramm who suggested that Schultz head to Monmouth after the Oaklawn meet ended.

“She has really blossomed at Monmouth,” Gramm said. “The competition is little bit easier there. We realized we could take some horses who were average horses at Oaklawn who would be be successful at Monmouth. She's really hit her stride there and it's exciting to watch. She works really hard and knows her stuff. I've been very pleased and impressed and I am excited to be part of her burgeoning career.”

Schultz has 14 horses at Monmouth, seven of them for Ten Strike. The stable includes five 2-year-olds, none of whom have started yet this year.

While happy to have accomplished so much so early in her career, Schultz makes no secrets of her aspirations to take things to the next level.

“I'd like to get up to maybe 40 horses to be able to have two strings,” she said. “It would be nice to be able to utilize two different circuits. I'd like to keep improving the quality. Obviously, to get to there you need the horses and you need the owners. All I'm trying to do is to do a good job, go to the sales and go to big race meets, meet people, talk to people. I am not a big self-promoter, but I hope if I keep doing a good job and keep looking for new opportunities they will come my way.”

Can it happen? Gramm believes that it can.

“Lindsay is going to need to find some other owners willing to take a chance on her and she's going to need to get some good 2-year-olds in her barn,” Gramm said. “Claiming is a way to get noticed and get your first set of owners, but, ultimately, you need to show you can develop some nice horses and win some stakes races. That's what gets you more and more noticed. Each year is a baby step. She's gone from five horses to 14 and has some 2-year-olds in her barn. That's a great place to be after a year. Hopefully, she can keep the momentum going and pick up some more owners. She has such a great background and I'm excited for her considering where she's at at such an early stage in her career.”

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• Annabel Adams, New Zealand
• Liam Cunningham, New Zealand
• Sarah Kelly, Ireland
• Orlaith Nangle, Ireland
• David O'Farrell, Ireland
• Megan O'Leary, Ireland
• Anne O'Rourke, UK
• Susannah Jeffery, UK
• Jamie Smith, UK
• Edmond Ryan, Ireland
• Alexander Sausville, USA
• Ben Triandafillou, Australia

“We welcomed our 20th Godolphin Flying Start class to Kildangan Stud this week with great satisfaction, having continued with the programme through the challenges of Covid-19,” said Godolphin Flying Start Executive Director Clodagh Kavanagh. “It is a milestone year, and it is heartening to see the commitment and talent of these young adults entering the thoroughbred business. We look forward to collaborating with industry professionals to give the trainees opportunities to learn, complete externships, and gain employment in the future so that we may achieve our vision of being the source of influential leaders of the industry.”

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