Darley Flying Start

Also known as Godolphin Flying Start

See: Godolphin Flying Start | Leading to Success

Featured Image: Godolphin Flying Start Graduates 2022 featuring Angus Robertson of Scone

Back L to R: Tommy Lyon-Smith, George Broughton, Donncha McCarthy, David Skelly, Angus Robertson

Front L to R: Erin McLaughlin, Devon Dougherty, Brigitte Murphy, Marine Moussa, Solene Hudbert, Samantha Bussanich

Education has been the lynchpin of my life. I’ve documented this quite extensively in my prolix ramblings in both ‘hard copy’ and online. A fellow ‘Ten-Pound-Pom’ of my generation reminded me we were the luckiest generation – ever. We were the beneficiaries of the largesse of the immediate Post-WWII Government in the UK. Everyone, except the electorate, expected this to be headed by wartime leader and national hero Winston Churchill. It wasn’t. It was Labour PM Clement Attlee. He instituted social reforms which included the National Health Service (NHS) and ‘free’ secondary and tertiary education. How lucky were we? Churchill said of Attlee: “He was a very modest man with a lot to be modest about”. I’ll leave that evaluation to better judges!

Godolphin (Darley) Flying Start is one of the most select and ‘elite’ compacts I have encountered in over 60 years of continuing professional development. I’m privileged to have played a small part myself in the early days.

See: https://sconevetdynasty.com.au/junling-sun-in-scone/

By now the world of thoroughbred racing and breeding is infiltrated by many outstanding graduates of the training program. Some of these come from privileged backgrounds such as a member of the aristocratic Sackville family in England and the grandson of Hollywood Mogul Louis B Mayer. Others are from a range of backgrounds and countries representing a large personal and geographic spectrum indeed.

Two local Scone identities are distinguished beneficiaries of the program. These are Adrian Bott (ex-Segenhoe Stud) and Angus Robertson of ‘Turanville’, Scone. The latter boasts a long and distinguished pedigree in both pastoral and thoroughbred enterprises. Thomas Cook owned Turanville over a century ago. He was one of the Hunter Valley’s most prominent breeders of horses. Angus’s great grandfather purchased ‘Turanville’ in 1938 and was directly associated with both the formation of the Scone Race Club (1944) and the Scone Cup Races first run in 1947. His legacy prevails in spades!

Not to be outdone, Angus has another historic legend on the distaff side of the family.

See: https://sconevetdynasty.com.au/the-melbourne-cup-1915-australias-first-lady-owner/