Dubai World Cup

The end of our time in Dubai was great. I enjoyed the rest of my placement at Jebel Ali Stables. The staff was really was great and they were so nice to me during my time there. It was very kind of Dhruba to invite us all to the Jebel Ali Ball at the culmination of the Jebel Ali race meet.

The World Cup was an event that I will always remember. There were so many different events leading up to the big evening that it really made the World Cup spectacular. It was great to go and watch training in the mornings with all the international horses on hand. There were horses from various different countries including Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Ireland, Japan, South Africa, and the United States. Though the training was interesting to watch it was even more entertaining hearing all the trainers talking to their riders in various languages. This international feel really added a lot to the event as a whole. It was enjoyable talking to the connections of the horses when they arrived. I was happy when the Californians arrived, I felt like I was back on the backside of Santa Anita for a little bit. It was great to see and be able to catch up with two of my former bosses Richard Mandella and Bob Baffert.

The week’s events started with the post position draw in the IMAX cinema. The size of the cinema was unbelievable and it was something else to be able to watch the race replays of some of the competitors on a screen that size. The next morning was the Breakfast With the Stars event. Meydan set up a large breakfast buffet at the racecourse right in front of the grandstand. It was great way to see all the horses train before the World Cup while eating a very nice breakfast. Everybody seemed to enjoy the morning. The event that truly was spectacular was the Desert Party. The event took place in a huge arena out in the desert and the entertainment was second to none. They had horses and riders jumping through hoops of fire and horses doing all kinds of spins and jumps while their riders had fireworks shooting out of their back packs. I was really impressed how well the horses were trained. The World Cup was a fantastic night of racing. The quality of the racing was top notch and the entertainment was great as well. The firework displays were incredible. I was so happy to see the Japanese horses ran first and second in the World Cup. With everything that had happened in Japan it was great to see them do so well in the big race.

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.

D. Wayne Lukas and Montana

Well my placement has finished with D. Wayne Lukas and I can’t say enough about the man or his operation. The barn is run in such a professional way that it doesn’t even feel like a barn. The example that Wayne sets makes you want to improve your own performance each and every day. His staff also makes the operation a fun environment to work in. Things are taken seriously but everybody always seems to be in a good mood because they enjoy what they’re doing and on the other hand they’re very good at what they do as well. I had a fantastic time learning from “the coach” and his staff.

After finishing up at Wayne’s, I went to Montana over the 4th of July weekend and met my girlfriend’s family. They were so great. I really had a great weekend with Elizabeth and her family. Montana is so gorgeous with all the trees, mountains, open grass fields, and lakes. We spent our time playing board games, badminton, and bocce ball. It was nice to be able to sit back and relax.

Now I’m back in Lexington and the course has picked up again. We’ve got our presentations next Thursday and we’ve all been working frantically to make them the best they can be, or maybe I just have because everybody else’s are fantastic and mine is still sub-par. It probably won’t change much on the day of, we’ve got some very talented people in the group, so I won’t get my hopes up too much. We all start inspecting yearling tomorrow for the Fasig Tipton July sale and then tomorrow night is the Darley Stallion Parade, so it will be a very busy day but it should be fun nonetheless.

Wayne Lukas/Triple Crown

I know it has been a long time since my last entry. A lot has happened since I last wrote. The Triple Crown has come and gone, Zenyatta has won her 17^th race in a row, and Rachel looks like she is on her way back. I started my Darley Flying Start work placement three weeks ago with D. Wayne Lukas and I can tell you that it has been everything that I’ve ever dreamed and more.

Being an aspiring trainer myself Wayne has always been an idol of mine. His professionalism, attention to detail, horsemanship, high expectations, and generosity have helped him achieve what many people only dream of. He has been working me hard ever since the day I arrived and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We start earlier than any other stable, arriving at 4:30 am, and finish later than most operations at 5:00 pm in the afternoon. It is this work ethic that he has instilled into his staff and his former assistant’s that not only have led to his success but theirs as well. Wayne is not only a teacher but a coach as well and takes the time to develop his staff and help them reach their goals. It amazes me how open he is and I never thought that I would have the opportunity in my life to sit down with Wayne and talk for an hour. My work placement is going better than I could ever imagine and I’m looking forward to the next three weeks.

As for the Triple Crown, it turned out to be a great performance all around and rewarded many deserving individuals. I was very happy to see Pletcher and WinStar win their first Derby. Both are extremely hard working and dedicated operations in our game today I can think of very few who are more deserving than them. As for the Preakness, I was ecstatic to be standing next to my girlfriend and my father while Lookin at Lucky pulled away from the field in the stretch. I was so happy to see him prove that he is the best three-year-old in the country and to share that with my girlfriend and my father meant a lot. It also was great to see my dear friend, Martin Garcia, win his first Triple Crown race. Martin is one of the hardest working individuals you can find in racing and deserves all the success that he has had this year. Though the Belmont wasn’t the crescendo that everybody was hoping for, with the absence of both the Derby and Preakness winner, it was a great race nonetheless and was the grounds for the emergence of some very promising colts. I’m really looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year.

Royal Ascot starts tomorrow and I’m very happy to see that there are several more American flag bearers taking on the European’s this year. Good luck to all of the connections representing the United States at Ascot!