Legendary horse trainer Bill Turner is reportedly in a critical condition in hospital after an accident.
The 78-year-old suffered a fractured skull after an accident involving a colt he had been riding at his Dorset yard, according to Sky Sports.
He was rushed to hospital on Monday and was left on a ventilator throughout the night.
His family have reportedly been left with the decision in the next 24 hours as to whether they want to keep his ventilator going.
A former jockey, he is famed for his achievements as a trainer at the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, which he has won six times. His most recent triumph there was with Mick’s Yer Man in 2013.
Matt Chapman reported on Sky Sports: ‘He had a serious accident at home and it’s not good news at all.
Legendary horse trainer Bill Turner is reportedly fighting for his life after an accident
The six-time Brocklesby Stakes winner once tamed a zebra and rode it to his local pub
‘Bill, as everyone knows, is a character, he must be well into his seventies, and he will still ride very, very young horses.
‘He was riding a colt yesterday and there was an accident of some sort.
‘Bill fell on his head and there was a fracture of his skull.
‘That fracture is very, very serious and Bill is on a ventilator right now.
‘The situation is such that whatever the outcome is over the next 24 hours, it’s not going to be a good one for Bill.
‘The family will have to make a decision in the next 24 hours as to whether they want to keep that ventilator going or not.
‘Hopefully, as I say these words, everyone in the racing world can just say a little prayer for Bill and his family.’
The British Horseracing Authority said: ‘Everybody at the BHA sends our best wishes to Bill Turner following his accident yesterday. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and team.’
Turner bought Zebedee from the Netherlands and was riding him within two-and-a-half weeks
Trainer Dylan Cunha also said: ‘Terrible news. Best wishes, Bill.’
Turner was born in 1947 in Shropshire and runs his stable at Sigwells with his wife Tracy and daughter Kathy.
He looks after a dozen horses and holds a combined licence with the British Horseracing Authority.
One of his more iconic ventures was when he tried to teach a zebra called Zebedee to run like a thoroughbred.
In 2009, he bought Zebedee for £4,5000 from a wildlife park in the Netherlands after being told they were impossible to ride.
Within two-and-a-half weeks, he had stunned locals by riding Zebedee down to the Kings Arms pub in Sherborne.
‘The first two or three days I had him I thought to myself “you silly old devil, I’ve bitten off more than you can chew here.” We were having real problems,’ he said.
‘The landlord down the pub and customers reckoned it would take six months to train but after two-and-a-half weeks we did it.
‘When people saw me me going down the road they were stopping, jumping out saying “I don’t believe what I’m seeing.”
‘A few of the pub customers came out and saw him and quickly went back in saying “I’ll have another pint of that, it’s better than I thought it was.”‘