Craig Lidster determined to make it through tough period

‘Have you ever thought of giving up?’. It feels a valid gambit as Craig Lister stares bleakly at his bank account during a 2026 that has yielded just seven winners.

The response? One of true Yorkshire grit. Quitting is simply not an option for the Rotherham-born handler, the grandson of a key figure on the once-prominent South Yorkshire mining scene and whose working class values have carried through the generations to the stable lad come trainer.

Lidster said: “Every day I wake up and think what is going to go wrong today. Who am I going to upset? Who can I make happy? How can I make them happy? Then you open your bank balance and you’re staring at the numbers wondering what’s the point in doing it for nothing.

“I’ve never fallen out of love with the game, but you do wake up sometimes and think, ‘why am I doing this to be skint?’.

“One thing we’ve never done though is skimp and scrape when it comes to the horses, Laura (wife) would not allow it, she ensures the highest standards. We’ve had that bred into us and even if it is to the detriment to our business we’ll never cut a corner.

“I made money out of pre-training and one thing I was always good at was young horses. It was great and I had a happy life doing it, but I still have a great life now, just with a bit less money.

“I have three full-time staff underneath me who I regard as family and I would hate to let them down by jacking it in. They deserve the best from me and I want to give them the best careers possible.”

Since registering his first winner in 2022, Lidster’s stock would rise while holding court at the Burdett family-owned Eboracum Stables in North Yorkshire, with Alfa Kellenic’s six-race winning run culminating in Ayr Silver Cup glory perfectly illustrating his talents.

Lidster continued: “I had three good years and I helped build the place and it helped grow my profile.

“We did great with the likes Alfa Kellenic and it showcased what I can do. Obviously the Burdetts helped by buying horses, but it showed I can train a bigger string than I have now.

“We trained plenty of winners out of there and the owners were getting a great experience.”

Lidster was replaced by Ivan Furtado at the Easingwold set up at the start of 2025, switching back to his spiritual home of Malton where although the first season maintained the status quo, the following 12 months has brought internal soul searching while battling the unprecedented meteorological elements of 2026.

“It’s been rough and I’ve been more vocal than most,” continued Lidster. “I brought it up to the vets in March that something just wasn’t right, the horses were training well and then were finishing races legless.

“It’s been hard as I’ve felt like I’ve been lying as I keep saying they are working well but then they go and run badly. But then it’s been tough for everyone when you look around. Personally I think viruses have been flying around all over.

“Charlie Appleby struggled to get going until the Lockinge and Aidan O’Brien said he had something in the yard last month – the only place more bio-secure than Ballydoyle is NASA and if those guys are struggling then we’ve got no chance!”

He went on: “It’s been an unprecedented year and it was very wet last winter and then we’ve had three months of no rain where it has been like the Gobi Desert.

“I was stood at the top of the gallops the other month looking over to the North Yorkshire Moors and all you could see was dust, it looked like fog but it wasn’t and if you think your horses are breathing that in at 15 litres a second it is clearly not going to be great for them.

“You can’t shut up shop though and there’s still 10 races a day you have to try to win.”

It is no surprise to see Lidster showing the inner resolve and steel synonymous of the region of his birth having called such distinguished names as Malcolm Jefferson, Brian Ellison and Richard Fahey his boss during his rise through the ranks.

During his time at Musley Bank he was travelling head lad during the unbeaten two-year-old career of Wootton Bassett, while his reputation for nurturing youngsters and easing the worries of nervous starters has seen his services called upon to assist with the likes of Mondammej and Royal Ascot and July Cup-winning Shaquille down the years.

The 44-year-old has unwavering believe in his ability to solve the greatest challenge he has faced so far with a licence.

“I love puzzles and if I was born in a different era I might have been diagnosed with something like ADHD I think, but I love the game and trying to solve problems with horses,” added Lidster.

“I’ve always said give me the ammunition and I will take it all the way, but if you have a bug that you can’t shift, it’s difficult. I’ve a proven record that I can do the job at hand and I just need healthy horses to work with.

“In this game you have to be singer and entertainer. You have to come have a laugh and giggle and have a pint with your owners, but you need to find them winners as well or they will go elsewhere.

“I’m unorthodox and perhaps still a stable lad at heart, but I’m loyal and honest and I like to think people have horses with me because of who I am.

“I’ve got some big dreams for the future, I don’t want to stay stationary and I want to get back moving upwards. I might have to be ruthless and one thing I’ll do is keep on grafting, Yorkshire style. I love the game and I don’t think I could ever see myself doing anything else.”