Michael Dods Racing is a friendly Group 1-winning racing operation, with a proven track record, based in the picturesque village of Denton, four miles from Darlington.

Michael is a vastly experienced trainer and his career highlights include winning the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York with the great filly Mecca's Angel in 2015 and 2016. He also trained another brilliant filly, Mabs Cross, to win the Group One Prix de ''Abbaye in 2018, and made history in 2022 when Commanche Falls became the first horse in 54 years to win back-to-back Stewards' Cups at Glorious Goodwood.

The stable enjoyed another fine season in 2024, finishing the year with a very satisfactory 60 winners, the highlight coming on July 27 when the ultra-consistent Northern Express landed the valuable Moet & Chandon International Stakes (Heritage Handicap) under Paul Mulrennan at Ascot.

That was followed a few days later by Tatterstall and Connor Beasley holding on by a nose in a thrilling finish to win the Coral Racing Club Handicap at Glorious Goodwood.

Other highlights in 2024 included a four-timer at Thirsk on May 18 with Tinto, Diamondonthehill, Hale End, and Lord Abama.

We are now turning our attention to 2025, with a handful of horses continuing to compete on the all-weather ahead of the opening of the turf Flat season in the Spring. We got off the mark with King's Crown becoming our first winner of 2025, with a victory at Southwell on January 24, and we are currently on eight winners for the season so far.

The seventh winner of 2025 was special because it came at Ripon with veteran Dakota Gold winning the 17th race of his career at the grand old age of 11. What a great servant he's been.

There's plenty of cause for optimism about the year ahead, with an attractive mix of well-established older horses, some exciting three-year-olds coming through, and what look like a nice bunch of two-year-olds.

We are hugely grateful to all our owners for their support, as well as the staff who have shown tremendous dedication to keep the stable moving forward.

Denton Hall is a modern training establishment, which is perfectly placed to reach all the northern racecourses, and is close enough to the A1 to also venture further south. We don't mind where we go in search of winners!

Michael is assisted by his hard-working wife Carole, as well as daughter, Chloe, now working full-time as assistant trainer. They are supported by long-serving Yard Manager Steve Alderson, and one of the industry's most experienced Travelling Head Lads in Kenny Williams, backed up by a dedicated team of stable staff. We pride ourselves on being professional and friendly. We train racehorses for individual owners, racing partnerships and we also have our own horse racing syndicate – Denton Hall Racing – for group ownership. In addition, we also have our own Dods Racing Club, giving members a value-for-money way of getting involved in the sport. Our aim is to give everyone a chance to enjoy the sport of racing, and the Dods Racing Club is a great example of that philosophy. If you are interested in any of the forms of racehorse ownership please do contact the yard to discuss your requirements. You’ll find regular updates on this site, including latest entries, winners, and news updates. Every Friday, during the turf flat season, we post a Weekend Preview, with our thoughts on the weekend runners. Oh, and the website even features a unique blog by 22-year-old former racehorse Barney McGrew. He writes about his observations of life around the yard, gives an insight into what's going on, and generally has a dim view of dumb humans! Please also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more bulletins. Thanks for visiting; we hope you enjoy browsing our website, and we will do our best to continue to keep you informed.