Young racing enthusiasts given a flying start

Dubai: Twelve young people who have been bitten by the horse racing bug will emerge as the latest batch of graduates from the prestigious Darley Flying Start (DFS) programme later this year.

With their various backgrounds, skills and ambitions, these young men and women all want to make a difference in the thoroughbred industry — and they have been given a flying start thanks to the DFS initiative, which is the brainchild of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Though the students may have trodden vastly different paths to get so far, they can aspire to one common objective of making a difference in the world of horse racing.

“Working in five different countries means learning to do the same thing five different ways, thus giving us an overview of how things are done across the globe in the world of horse racing,” said Briton Stephen Heath, who built up a love for the sport during his days at university.

“Though this is a global sport, it is very easy for people to understand whose horse is the fastest and this is what will help us in breaking down boundaries globally.”

For Sophie Ignarski, also from the UK, the DFS course is “by far the best in the business”. Ignarski studied to be a veterinarian back home, but a sudden interest from her family in breeding and racing horses led to her choosing this career path.

“There are shorter courses in England and Ireland, but nothing really quite like the intensity of this one, where every aspect of the industry is covered,” said the 27-year-old, who is currently assigned to the International Stables in Dubai. “Though I grew up in the veterinary side of the industry, I wanted to get a much deeper understanding of the other aspects of horse racing.”

Trailblazer

China native Jin Tian had no links with the industry before being accepted for the course, but in the future he sees himself as being something of a trailblazer. “My children will definitely say ‘my parents worked in racing’,” he said.

“I’ve waited three years to get into this course. Shaikh Mohammad’s vision will see China grow in this sport and I hope to be around.”

Japanese Madoka Kamei is here to explore this “borderless sport”. She said: “Japan may be a bit closed to the onlooker, but this will definitely change. The quality of Japanese horses is improving and we now need our horses to step out and prove they are among the best.”

American Sarah Fishback had an upbringing where she was surrounded by horses due to her family’s involvement in breeding thoroughbreds at their base in Lexington, Kentucky.

“On our own, we could never dream of having such opportunities. I plan to go back to the US and hopefully work there in marketing and try to get more people to join the sport and have it like a national sport, like they do in Australia,” the 25-year-old said.

“The world of horse racing is a small world where every-one knows each other and where reputations travel faster than you do. Through this programme I have been able to make so many connections and get first-hand knowledge of how this sport works.”