Male cock Grouse seeks to warm up in the early morning autumnal sun.
Middleham is known mostly for three things its connection with King Richard III, Its magnificent Castle (King Richard's childhood home) and more recently the horseracing industry. The Sport of Kings can be traced back to the area for over 200 years but the Cistercian monks of nearby Jervaulx Abbey were breeding horses long before this. The first documented reference to racehorses in Middleham was the establishment of Isaac Cape as a jockey in 1733 he eventually became the first specialist racehorse trainer in the area. Since then many famous racehorses have been trained here both on the flat and over jumps these have included Derby winners Pretender 1869 and Dante 1945 and Grand National winners Sheila's Cottage 1948, Teal 1952 and Merryman II 1960 trained by the late Neville Crump from Warwick House Stables. Combined with its deep history as a training centre Middleham also hosted racing on the High Moor during the 18th century with the first meeting recorded in 1739. A dispute between the local gait owners (landowners with grazing rights on the moorland) and trainers saw the last race held on the Moor in June 1873. From then onwards the High Moor has been used only for training. By this point racing was already embedded within the community. In more recent times Middleham is established as a leading training centre in the UK where fifteen trainers are based. The facilities and layout have continued to improve allowing trainers to send out fit and competitive athletes and have been rewarded with further success at the top Racing Tours gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the stars of the north's premier racehorse training centre. Middleham is home to around 15 racehorse trainers and approximately 500 horses. The centre has grown considerably over the past 10 years and now hosts three all weather gallops, numerous grass gallops as well as an impressive schooling ground.
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Middleham, North Yorkshire Dales, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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