North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Craig Lidster
North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Craig Lidster is a Flat trainer based in Malton whose career in racing began at just 11 years old, riding out horses, ponies and point-to-pointers before leaving school at 16 to attend the National Horseracing College in Doncaster. His early career took him through a series of respected racing operations, including time working for Sir Robert Ogden and Malcolm Jefferson.
He later spent ten years with Brian Ellison, where he worked as travelling head lad and briefly rode as a jockey, before moving to Richard Fahey’s yard. During eight years with Fahey, Craig worked closely with a number of high-class horses, most notably travelling Wootton Bassett to France when he won the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère in 2010.
Craig subsequently specialised further in breaking-in, pre-training and working with difficult or problem horses, experience which helped shape his own training approach. He began training in his own right in 2021 and, after initially operating from Easingwold, returned to Malton in 2025 to establish his operation at Beverley House Stables.
Craig trains from Beverley House Racing Stables in Norton, Malton, overlooking the historic Highfield training grounds. The location places the yard within one of Britain’s most established racing centres and provides access to the extensive gallops around Malton.
Beverley House itself includes traditional stabling alongside a horse walker, lunge ring and turnout paddocks, while its position beside the Highfield gallops gives horses immediate access to varied training ground without the need to travel elsewhere for routine exercise.
The surrounding Malton training area provides additional access to both Highfield and Langton Wold gallops, with a mixture of grass and all-weather surfaces available across the wider training centre. citeturn830447search14
The move back to Malton also brings Craig close to several major northern racecourses, including York, Thirsk, Ripon, Beverley and Catterick, making the location particularly well suited to campaigning Flat horses across the north of England.
Craig recorded his first winner as a trainer in 2023 and quickly established a growing Flat operation. In 2024 the yard produced 35 winners, up from 26 the previous year, while almost half of its runners finished in the first four and prize money exceeded £500,000.
The standout horse of Craig’s career so far is Alfa Kellenic, who produced a remarkable six-race winning sequence during 2024. Her progression included Craig’s first winner at York, victory at the Ebor Festival and success in the Ayr Silver Cup, where she completed the six-timer.
Alfa Kellenic improved by more than 30lb during that campaign, rising from an official rating of 70 to 101 and earning more than £120,000 in prize money. Her development remains one of the clearest demonstrations of Craig and his team’s ability to improve and carefully place a progressive horse.
Craig’s broader racing career also includes working directly with elite horses before taking out his own licence, including travelling Wootton Bassett for his Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère victory during his time with Richard Fahey.
Craig’s philosophy is rooted in understanding the individual horse, with particular emphasis on patience, education and mental wellbeing. His background breaking-in young horses and working with more challenging individuals has given him a strong appreciation of how temperament, confidence and routine can influence performance as much as physical ability.
He places particular importance on developing young horses correctly rather than rushing them, drawing on experience gained across several leading yards and from handling horses at every stage of their development. That patient approach was demonstrated particularly clearly by Alfa Kellenic, who progressed from a mark of 70 to 101 during an exceptional 2024 campaign.
Owners are also central to the operation. Craig prides himself on building strong relationships with owners and creating an approachable, inclusive environment around the yard. The stable’s own testimonials consistently highlight communication, accessibility and the involvement owners receive in their horses’ journeys.
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