Middleham is an historic town and as early as 1739, the town had a racecourse of its own laid out on the High Moor. Middleham Castle was where Richard III was brought up as a prince. It was within the walls of the same castle that Richard plotted to seize the crown for himself. (Any similarities to Mark Johnston are purely coincidental)
Mark Johnston Racing Ltd. (MJR) was established in 1988 when Kingsley House was purchased. Kingsley House is the home of Mark and Deirdre Johnston, as well as headquarters of MJR. Prior to becoming a racing yard, Kingsley House was once famous as the home of Charles Kingsley who wrote the famous classic novel 'The Water Babies'.
When Mark Johnston Racing acquired the property, it was transformed from a run down 34 box yard into one of the most modern training establishments in the country. Now it boasts 67 boxes with an on-site equine swimming pool, electronic horsewalkers and lunging rings. Kingsley House also has some of the very best veterinary facilities including a Veterinary room with endoscopy and x-ray facilities. (Please see the facilities)
In 1994, Warwick House, the training yard directly opposite Kingsley House, was purchased. Warwick house is the famous yard where late Captain Crump trained three Grand National winners. After renovation and building work, the combined yards now total 142 boxes with great on-site facilities.
Close by there are gallop facilities with extensive grass gallops, as well as 7 furlong and one and a half mile all-weather gallops.
You can find famous winners from the MJR stables here.
As the table below shows, winners from the Kingsley House stables have been increasing, as has the total prizemoney won by horses at the yard. The combination of major investment both in facilities and people, and brilliant training have led to these excellent results
| Year | Winners |
Total Prizemoney(£) |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 53 | 412,518.00 |
| 1993 | 77 | 555,792.00 |
| 1994 | 117 | 1,024,928.00 |
| 1995 | 113 | 1,162,513.00 |
| 1996 | 125 | 1,322,114.00 |
| 1997 | 131 | 1,380,985.13 |
| 1998 | 105 | 1,462,395.68 |
| 1999 | 121 | 1,521,687.93 |
| 2000 | 139 | 1,849,196.04 |
| 2001 | 118 | 1,968,304.43 |
| 2002 | 141 | 2,640,947.36 |
| 2003 | 146 | 2,454,440.52 |
| 2004 | 124 | 3,121,282.67 |
| 2005 | 143 | 2,086,772.06 |
| 2006 | 159 | 2,134,454.88 |
| 2007 | 164 | 1,811,475.57 |
| 2008 | 71 | 611,028.79 |