What not to miss at Middleham Open Day
We’ve put together a mini guide for the must-see at each yard that is Middleham Open day to help you plan your day and not miss a thing!
Andy Crook
You will be sure of a very friendly welcome at Andy Crook’s yard which is a true family affair. Daughter Amy is Assistant Trainer and wife Jackie is a huge part of the business also. Be sure to see stable star Racemaker on the day who won three races last year.
Ben Haslam
Ben is another one of Middleham’s young trainers and has had a cracking start to the year with 11 winners up to the end of February alone and they haven’t stopped coming! It was great to see the yard, situated in the shadow of Middleham Castle having runners in the famous JP McManus silks at Cheltenham and he has some exciting horses to see. A real star in the yard is the appropriately named Listed winner Castle Hill Cassie and a rising star is the duel winner Sandret.
Stef Keniry
Stef is very proud to be one of Middleham’s newest trainers and has had a really impressive start to her career with 12 winners so far. That’s seven wins over jumps and five on the Flat, with Stef’s flagship horse to look out for at the historic Warwick Lodge Stables being Old Salt. He was her first ever winner last year and also won his last two runs at Musselburgh in February. Make sure you pay this up and coming, hard working new trainer and her husband, ex-jump jockey Barry, a visit on the day.
Chris Fairhurst
Chris and his team had a fantastic year last year, particularly during the Go Racing in Yorkshire Festival where they took three races during the week! Benadalid was very impressive when winning the Ripon Bell Ringer Handicap so don’t miss seeing him at this beautiful quiet picturesque yard.
Liam Bailey
Liam is Middleham’s newest recruit to the training ranks having been granted his licence very recently. He has already had two placed horses and almost started his career with a winner when his first runner Captain Peaky finished second! This emergent trainer is sure to get his first winner soon so be sure to visit his impressive facilities up at Foulrice Park Racing.
James Bethell
Bethell Racing has a lovely team of horses at their beautiful Coverham yard. Three, in particular, to look out for are Hesslewood, Portledge and Ulshaw Bridge. From 12noon James and his team will once again undertake a jumping and dressage demonstration with some of their retired racehorses as part of this year’s Middleham Open Day. Don’t miss your chance to see Briardale (winner of the Zetland Gold Cup), Truth or Dare (winner at Glorious Goodwood), True Pleasure (winner of nine races), Fossgate (winner of 12 races) and Granston, who accumulated over £150,000 in prize money during his career. A show of two-year-olds will follow on from this.
Jedd O’Keeffe
It is not just the horses doing the winning at the O’Keefe’s stable; Jedd’s wife Andrea won the Rory Macdonald Community Award at this year’s Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards. This was quickly followed by another big win for the whole team when they brought home the prestigious Lycetts Team Champion award. Take your chance to meet this outstanding team on the day, not to mention their star hurdler Sam Spinner!
Karl Burke
Three things to see at Karl Burke’s:
- See 5-time Group 1 winning super mare Laurens
- See the impressive new covered ride which has recently been built at Spigot Lodge
- Take a look at Karl’s array of quality two-year-olds and try to pick a star of the future
MJR
Four things not to miss at MJR:
- Don’t miss horses swimming in the Kingsley Park Pool
- Meet recent Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff award winner Sophy Scott
- Look out for 2 yr old ‘Fred’, the son of Frankel in Warwick House yard
- Take your chance to meet the 2018 Investec Epsom Derby runner-up Dee Ex Bee
Micky Hammond
Micky is a hugely consistent trainer and continues to churn out lots of winners over both codes year on year. As well as looking at the lovely selection of horses in the yard make sure you meet Gemma Hogg, 2017 Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff winner and author of ‘Yorkshire Stable Lass’ and her sister, Becky, 2018 Champion Amateur jockey and Head Lass at the yard.
Julia Brooke
Get the shuttle bus down to Julia Brooke’s idyllic Brough Farm where you will sure of a warm welcome. Julia is having a great time of late with her yard operating at an impressive 19% strike rate. A horse they particularly like is Fiddlers Bow and Julia said
It would be hard to nominate a flagship horse as we have a lovely team of horses at the moment, but Fiddlers Bow is a horse we think a lot of. He is jointly owned by Mervyn Buckley & our own Brough Farm Racing Partnership, which was set up to give people the opportunity of being involved on a smaller scale than outright ownership. After being placed in his first two runs for us last year, he then won twice in January of this year. He’s a lovely big chaser who has stepped up in Class the last twice & we hope there is more to come
Middleham Open Day tickets are on sale now at www.middlehamopenday.co.uk. Adult day passes are priced at £12.50, with concessions at £8.50. Under 16s go free of charge.