Former jockey John Supple has joined Ferdy Murphy at Middleham as assistant trainer and started in his new role on Monday.
Murphy explained: "We are very pleased John has come to us, we tried last year to get him but did not succeed, but he has been well worth waiting for and I am sure he will be a great help to us.
"He had wanted to carry on riding a bit longer and had a year with Michael Hourigan in Ireland, but I don't think his wife really settled over there so he decided to come back to England."
Murphy went on: "When we heard he was coming back we got on the case right away, and he is going to be a fantastic asset to us you know. Funnily enough he started with me as a 16-year-old when I was with Geoff Hubbard.
"He was the best lad at the age I have ever started and he is a real grafter _ we are very lucky to get him. He is a very good operator and wants to train himself in a few years so this will help him gain valuable experience too.
"John won't be race-riding, he will concentrate solely on the job here and that will allow me to concentrate on the commercial end a bit more."
