'It's a totally fresh beginning' - meet the American steeped in breeding enjoying a European adventure

Craig Bernick was barely 30 when he found he was taking over at the helm of Glen Hill Farm, a Florida-based owning and breeding operation that was the passion and brainchild of his grandfather Leonard Lavin.

Its firm focus on American racing had propelled it to the top level across four decades with horses such as Convenience, Relaunch and his daughter, the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner One Dreamer. A framework built on relationships with the likes of trainer Willard Proctor and then his son Tom meant that much of it could take care of itself.

Nothing has changed on that score, but more recently Bernick has found the confidence to divert Glen Hill on a different path to Europe. Its black and orange livery has never been more prominent than this season, with Aspen Grove rewarding an ambitious plan to win the Belmont Oaks and the Jessica Harrington-trained Sounds Of Heaven finishing a fine third in the Coronation Stakes and heading for an easier target in this Sunday’s Group 3 Michael John Kennedy Memorial Stakes at the Curragh.