Overturn has Champion date

Overturn could have another crack at the Stanjames.com Champion Hurdle after making turf history at Newcastle yesterday.

The seven-year-old became the first horse to win the North East track’s two big races in their calendar, the Northumberland Plate on the Flat in 2010 and the Stanjames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle, when landing the latter event on Saturday.

He defeated 2010 Champion Hurdle hero Binocular for his latest success and may just have one more race before going for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival, in which he was seventh in March.

“It was absolutely fantastic. When you think he can’t do it anymore, he goes and does it again. He’s a wonderful horse to have,” said trainer Donald McCain.

“He’s as tough as nails and you wouldn’t know he’d had a race this morning.

“When you’re talking about Sea Pigeon and those sort of horses, it’s a huge feather in his cap to win those two races.

“He won’t be running for a while and we’ve got to decide what we do. I’d have thought we’d go back for the Champion Hurdle as he does seem to have improved again this time.

“What we do between now and then we will have to play it by ear. There will be a run somewhere before, I’d have thought, but it won’t be for a while.”