Michelle Whitaker Hemingway, formerly an assistant trainer in South Africa, has been hired by Team Valor International.

“She will fill two gaps in our operation,” said stable CEO Barry Irwin. “She will assist me in our South African program, including working the yearling sales, and she will monitor our young horses when they are in training in Ocala.

“This young lady has a wealth of experience that belies her age and we consider this hire to be a move that will bring a great deal of cohesiveness to our international organization.”

A daughter of Canadian Hall of Famer Kennedy Road’s trainer Clark Whitaker, Hemingway spent 3 years as an assistant trainer in South Africa to Glen Kotzen and Joey Ramsden, after earning a degree in International Equine Marketing from Sweetbriar College in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The 28-year-old horsewoman is married to former South African jockey Ian Hemingway and has a 21-month old son named Ray.