About James Ferguson

James brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, having served his time under Racing greats such as Sir Mark Prescott and Jessica Harrington.

Since setting up training in 2019 James has highlighted himself as one of the leading young trainers in the country. In his first season he trained Zoetic to win The St Hughes’s Fillies Stakes (Listed). This was only a flicker of what was to come. In his second season training he picked up his first Group 1 when El Bodegon made all to win the Criterium De Saint-Cloud (Group 1). Prior to this the 2yr old son of Kodiac won the Prix De Conde (Group 3) at Chantilly. James’ success with fillies was showcased again in 2020 when Qatar Racing Limited’s filly Mise En Scene took the Prestige Stakes (Group 3) at Goodwood. In 2022 and into 2023 this success has only continued with Canberra Legend winning the Feilden Stakes (Listed) at Newmarket and Deauville Legend winning the Bahrain Trophy (Group 3) at Newmarket and the Great Voltigeur (Group 2) at York.

James welcomes members of the public to visit our yard by appointment. Should you feel like getting involved, please do not hesitate to drop the office a line.

Machell Place Stables

Machell Place Stables is located in the hub of Newmarket providing easy access to the gallops on both Warren Hill and Racecourse side.

As a training centre, Newmarket is the ideal home for a racehorse. With over 50 miles of turf ground and 14 miles of artificial gallops, which are meticulously tended throughout the year by the Jockey club estates.

Located close to Cambridge, London and international airports such as Stansted, Newmarket is conveniently positioned for those travelling from afar.

Facilities

“My primary goal is to create one of the world’s leading training establishments, to train winners at the highest level at the biggest meetings, and to provide owners with an experience for their overall enjoyment”.

James Ferguson

Facilities and Horse Care

Gallops

Arioneo

Equine Spa, Massage Pads and Nebuliser

VETS

Spillers

Musculoskeletal Therapist

Facilities and Horse Care

Access to the entirety of The Jockey Club’s Newmarket Estate.
Circular horse walker.
Turn out paddocks and pens.
Lunge Pen.
Digital Weighbridge.
Equine Spa
2 Two-stall Horseboxes for travelling.
Historical brick-built yard.
Wash down bay.

Gallops

“A world-class training centre at the headquarters of racing”

Horses have been trained in Newmarket in preparation for racing for over 350 years. Today the Newmarket Training Grounds, owned and managed by Jockey Club Estates, span 2,500 acres and boast an unequalled array of facilities in terms of their scale and variety.

The town is home to around 80 racehorse trainers and at peak season there are close to 3,000 horses in training. The town centre divides the training grounds into two, ‘Bury Side’ to the east and ‘Racecourse Side’ to the west. An extensive system of horsewalks across the town link the two.

Arioneo

Arioneo Equimetre – At James Ferguson Racing we make use of the Arioneo EQUIMETRE daily.

It is an all-in-one tool which simultaneously records cardiac activity, locomotion and GPS data during your horses training. It identifies the optimal fitness level to race by analysing heart rate and recovery data to assess fitness and to get baseline data to replicate before big events. The locomotor profile analyses the stride frequency and stride length of your horse and detects their preferred distance. Speed aptitudes measure your horses maximal speed and acceleration capabilities and quantifies the speed during each training session to analyse split times to view the best 200, 400 and 600m.

You can also quickly identify an underlying heart problem or abnormality and be able to quickly monitor and act accordingly. This has been a fantastic addition to our training programme.

Equine Spa, Massage Pads and Nebuliser

Equine spas use hydrotherapy and massage to help horses recover from exercise, improve their flexibility, and increase their cardiovascular efficiency.

Benefits of hydrotherapy

Relieves pain: Cold water can help with sore muscles and pain, while warm water can help with swelling
Improves flexibility: Water’s resistance helps build muscle and increase flexibility
Reduces pressure on joints: Water’s buoyancy reduces stress on the horse’s skeleton
Improves cardiovascular efficiency: Water treadmills help horses engage their entire body, even at slow speeds
Accelerates recovery: Hydrotherapy can help horses recover from injuries and be ready for their next workout

Benefits of massage

Relieves muscle tension: Massage can help reduce muscle tension, stiffness, and pain
Improves joint flexibility: Massage can help improve joint range of motion and flexibility

VETS

Baker McVeigh

We have vets on site from Baker McVeigh (one of the leading vets in Newmarket) to ensure our horses are receiving top-class medical attention if required, at all times. We also have a dedicated Vet Box to carry out any medical treatments safely.

Spillers

We are proud to partnership with SPILLERS™ Feeds to power our horses. We have a dedicated nutritionist at hand at all times to provide us with expert help and advice to ensure our horses are being fuelled proeprly.

Musculoskeletal Therapist

We also have a dedicated musculoskeletal therapist on site who regularly treats all our horses before they run or with regular check-ups to ensure that any problems are identified and treated in order to provide the best possible care for our horses and achieve the maximal performance. Steph has been a qualified McTimoney-Corley Skeletal Therapist for 12 years. She is also qualified in massage for animals, acupressure therapy, K-Laser therapy, K-taping and Myofascial therapy.

“I usually mix a combination of all these treatments to ensure the horses are feeling great and are reaching their full potential.”