Turf topics: Bastiman hopeful injured stable star will be back

The leg injury that Robin Bastiman's eight-year-old cruelly suffered in the wake of his heroic victory at Glorious Goodwood two days ago has now ruled the star sprinter out for the year, and denied Yorkshire racing's flagbearer a chance of winning the prestigious Nunthorpe Stakes for a third successive year.

The more important news, however, is that Borderlescott's injury, says Bastiman, is not life-threatening, and that the Wetherby trainer hopes his stable star – the two-time Yorkshire horse of the year – will resume his career next season.

It has been a tumultuous 48 hours for Bastiman, from the emotional high of watching his horse record a career-best victory under Kieren Fallon in the King George Stakes to the worry that the sprinter may have fractured his hind leg – and then the need to prepapre Singeur for today's Stewards Cup, ironically a race that Borderlescott won in 2006.

The horse, one of the most popular in training, will remain at Arundel Veterinary Centre ahead of a bone scan next week which will determine the extent of the injury that was only discovered when Bastiman's son Harvey led the horse out of the doping box following Thursday's emotional victory.

"They have not quite diagnosed what it is, but he's going to have a bone scan next Thursday. He's staying down at Arundel and he's in good hands," said Bastiman senior. "It's something from the pelvis down. He might have chipped a bit of bone off, but we're not quite sure.

"That's why he's having a bone scan. It's his near hind quarters and he might just have torn a muscle. The vets say the horse has overdone it. He's tried too hard and overstretched himself.

"It's not a life-threatening thing but he will be out for the season. He won't be able to run again this year. Hopefully, he'll be all right and I have a gut feeling he will be."

If Borderlescott had gone into the history books and won the Nunthorpe, the reception would have afforded that given to Peter Easterby's legendary Sea Pigeon, the never-say-die Malton-trained horse who won the 1979 Ebor, among other top Flat handicaps, en route to Champion Hurdle glory at the Cheltenham National Festival Hurdle.

Yet this is the audacious plan now being considered by connections of Overturn, the dual-purpose horse, who added the Guinness Galway Hurdle to his Northumberland Plate crown.

Both the Ebor, and next year's Champion Hurdle, are on the agenda for the relentless front-running galloper trained by Donald McCain. The improving six-year-old was given an armchair ride by Graham Lee, stable jockey to North Yorkshire trainer Ferdy Murphy, and who was deputising for the injured Jason Maguire.

"It's a dream come true, there is no other way to put it," said Lee, whose parents live within walking distance of the Galway track and who likened Overturn to a machine.

"It's huge credit to the horse because he's won a Scottish Champion Hurdle, a Northumberland Plate and now a Galway Hurdle."

It was also some achievement for McCain – Overturn was the first British-trained runner to succeed in the race since Sagaman in 1991.

"That was the sort of performance I was hoping for," said McCain.

"I don't know what the plan is but he's still in the Ebor.

"I've asked him some tough questions and he's kept answering, so whether he needs a break or not I don't know, we'll see."

Paddy Power subsequently cut Overturn from 14s to 12-1 for the Ebor, while William Hill offer 25-1 about him winning next year's Champion Hurdle.

Meanwhile, Dar Re Mi, owned by West End composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber and his wife Madeleine, is back cantering and on course for the Darley Yorkshire Oaks.

A bruised foot forced the Dubai Sheema Classic winner out of last weekend's King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, but she cantered for the first time on Thursday

Trainer John Gosden said: "It was a nasty bruise, but she seems fine now and is heading for the Yorkshire Oaks."