Where it all begins

The success of the Godolphin-trained juveniles in Australia this season has been unparalleled and their education began 12 months ago at Darley Kelvinside

It has been an amazing start to the 2014/15 Australian racing season for the Godolphin two-year-old brigade. At the halfway point of the season, no less than 13 individual juveniles have carried the royal blue silks to victory including G3 winner Antelucan (Domesday) and Listed winners Haptic (Exceed And Excel) and Calaverite (Lonhro).

Godolphin have six opportunities this weekend to add to their list of juvenile Stakes winners for the season, with Exceed And Excel colts Sampeah and Bantam contesting the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield, while Lonhro colts Exosphere and Mogador, who ran 1-2 in a recent two-year-old race at Kembla Grange, tackle the G2 Skyline Stakes at Warwick Farm and Italy (Domesday) and Circular (Street Cry) will compete in the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes.

For all these talented young two-year-olds, their racing education began 12 months ago at Darley’s Kelvinside property in the Hunter Valley.

Brothers Ben and Garry Johnston ride two Helmet yearling colts in one of Kelvinside's round yards

Darley’s breaking division at Kelvinside has been operational since 2012 when the decision was made to transfer the division from Belmont Park, which was located on the Hawkesbury River at Richmond. The state-of-the-art facility at Kelvinside boasts a U-shaped barn containing 46 boxes, four round yards, a 37m swimming pool and a 1200m sand track.

Close to 180 yearlings pass through the facility each year with each yearling spending between four and five weeks being educated by breaking foreman Scott Eeles and his team of 12 staff. On January 19 the first group of this year’s yearlings arrived at Kelvinside from Darley Woodlands and the last yearlings will depart Kelvinside around the middle of June.

Within four days of arriving, the yearlings are being ridden and by the end of their first week they have their first ride around the track. The track’s surface is Newcastle beach sand and the five metre width allows the yearlings to work in pairs.

Two yearling colts jump from the gates for the first time

Week two of the breaking program consists of trackwork and barrier education with each yearling having their first jump out in week three as well as their first swim. Each yearling is required to complete three jump outs and three swims before they depart Kelvinside and in their final week the breakers are replaced by track riders to ensure the process is complete.

The initial education process concludes with the yearlings departing Kelvinside for Crown Lodge, Godolphin’s racing stables at Warwick Farm, where they spend a week before heading to the spelling paddock for a well-earned break.