Meydan Masters

The past week has gone very well. I’m enjoying my new placement with Dhruba Selvaratnam at Jebel Ali Racecourse. It’s nice being at a barn in the early mornings and watching horses train as the sun comes up. As I thought, Dhruba is a very knowledgeable man and I’ve enjoyed talking with him in the mornings while we watch the horses train. It’s very interesting hearing about the time he spent working for Vincent O’Brien. We’ve also talked a lot about the differences between the ways horses are trained in America versus Europe. The staff are all very nice as well and seem to enjoy their work, which makes it that much more fun to be there. It’s very strange being at a racetrack and only seeing about 50 horses go up the track. I’m so used to the hustle and bustle of the American racetracks where there are horses everywhere and a lot of commotion. It’s very peaceful and relaxed at Jebel Ali and the horses seem to enjoy it.

Racing this week has been good too. We’ve finished our work rotations at Meydan so from here on out we’ll just be spectators again. There was racing on both Thursday and Friday night this week. I spent Thursday night learning from the placing judges and from the clerk of scales. On Friday night I spent time with the paddock judge. The main event for the two days of racing at Meydan was the Meydan Masters international jockey challenge. Some of the top jockeys from around the world were invited to compete in the three race event and it added a lot of excitement to the races to see these top jockeys compete against each other. Some of the jockeys on hand included Ryan Moore, Johnny Murtagh, Maxime Guyon, Gerald Mosse, Richard Hills, and last but not least Calvin Borel. The collection of these jockeys represented the winners of almost all the major international races in the world. In the end, in his first time riding in Dubai, Calvin Borel won the Masters. He is such a model for our industry in America with his politeness and work ethic. It was great to see him win the challenge.

I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the upcoming racing this weekend in America. There are some very good stakes races all over the country but I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the results of the two Kentucky Derby preps. This is my favorite time of year seeing these young horses improve along the Derby trail. It already looks like it could be a great group of three-year-olds and could make for a very exciting Kentucky Derby.

Australia

I apologize about not keeping my blog up to date while I was in Australia, it was a fantastic experience though. The people were so nice and the culture was very cool. I thought it was funny that instead of signs for Deer crossing, like we have in America, they had sings to watch for Kangaroos. These guys were everywhere. We had to be careful during our time in the Hunter Valley because one just might jump out in front of you while you were driving to work in the morning.

The Darley farms in Australia were spectacular. The environment was perfect for rearing horses and it allowed them to be outside pretty much 24 hours a day. During my time on the Darley farms I worked in the breeding shed, the nominations office, in the prep shed, and on farm crew. They were all very cool experiences. I enjoyed learning how to drive tractors on farm crew and being around the stallions in the breeding shed.

When we arrived we immediately began working. We helped out with the stallion parade which was great. It was awesome to see all of the top Darley stallions in one place. Australia is very lucky with the shuttle stallions because not only do they have the opportunity to breed to their best stallions but they also have the ability to breed to some of the best from America and Europe.

We were very fortunate during our time in Australia because we were able to see several different parts of the country. We were based in the Hunter Valley but we also got to spend a bit of time in Syndey and in Melbourne. Sydney was a gorgeous city, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge were spectacular sights. We spent a week in Sydney for our leadership course and also drove there several weekends for racing.

Though Sydney was great my favorite part of Australia had to be the time I spent in Melbourne. Melbourne is one of the coolest cities I have ever been to. What was really awesome was being there for the Flemington Spring Carnival. After seeing the Melbourne Cup I have to say that it is the best racing event in the world. It is a must see for any racing fan. The entire country literally stops to watch this one race and the atmosphere at the track was truly amazing. I wanted to have a good seat for the race so bad that I sat outside in the rain for two races before the Cup and though I got thoroughly soaked it was worth it. After the Melbourne Cup I got to stay in Melbourne for another 4 weeks and work for trainer Danny O'Brien at Flemington Racecourse. It was really enjoyable being in an Australian racing stable. I learned so much because the way horses are trained in Australia is very different from anything I had seen prior. Danny and his staff were great. I got to get a look at his new training facility, swim horses, spend a day in the office, and watch track work from time to time.

Australia really was fantastic and I loved the time that I spent there. After Australia I got to go home to California for a few weeks. It was great spending time with the family and catching up with friends. I'm now in Dubai and it has been great so far.

Dubai

Hello from Dubai! I’ve been here since the 2^nd of January. It’s an amazing country. The hotels here are spectacular and the malls are huge. I can’t believe all the building that is going on. I can see why everybody has told me that every time they go to Dubai it looks different.

The first week we were here we went on a lot of different tours and really got to see Dubai. We went on a tour of the Madinat Jumeira Resort, which was huge. It was like being in a small city of its own. We also went to the Burj Al Arab. This hotel was magnificent. It is the only seven star hotel in the world! I have never seen anything so luxurious. Throughout the week we also went on several stable visits. The highlight of the stable visits was when we visited Satish Seemar. It was a very nice stable but what made this trip so special is that we got the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with Monty Roberts! He answered all the questions that we had and it really was a great experience meeting him. Our visit to Meydan was also a special one. This is a spectacular racecourse. The grandstand is one mile in length but that’s not all. Meydan also has a 5-star hotel attached to it, an IMAX theatre inside, and several very nice restaurants.

The second week we began our work placements and I started my placement at Godolphin. I have now been there for over three weeks and it has been an awesome experience. It has been great being around so many talented horses and knowledgeable staff. Training racehorses is my true love and nothing makes me happier than being in a training environment. It has been a real treat waking up in the morning and watching the Godolphin horses train. My work placement at Godolphin finishes up on Thursday and then I will be moving over to Dhruba Selvaratnam’s Stable at Jebel Ali Racecourse. Dhruba worked for the legendary Vincent O’Brien before he began training on his own. This will be another good experience that will help me continue to develop my knowledge of training racehorses. I’m looking forward to learning about his operation and from Dhruba himself.