REBECCA BASTIMAN
THE dedicated Yorkshire racehorse trainer died on 20 March following a long illness, aged 40.
Miss Bastiman rode from a young age, and rode three winners as an amateur jockey.
The third generation of her family to train in Yorkshire, she took over her father Robin’s training licence in 2015, assisted by her brother Harvey.
She saddled more than 100 winners. One of Miss Bastiman’s most notable horses was her own Hayadh, a winner of the Thirsk Hunt Cup in 2019.
A spokesman for the family said Miss Bastiman put “110% into the love and care” of her horses.
“She had a natural aura around horses; they loved her and she loved them. She got horses that had lost their way, sweetened them and let them be horses, and in return they won for her,” he said.
“Rebecca was a dedicated trainer and a hard worker; first on the yard and last to leave.
“Rebecca will leave a hole in many people’s hearts, but her legacy will go on and never be forgotten. The world has lost a special, beautiful person but heaven has gained an angel.”
A spokesman for Musselburgh racecourse said she was a familiar face in the winner’s enclosure.
“She will be sadly missed by us all,” he said.
Jockey Paul Mulrennan described Miss Bastiman as “a lovely lady who absolutely loved her horses”, and trainer Linda Perratt said her memory of Miss Bastiman will be her “greeting us with a smile and a friendly chat”.
“We’ll miss her on the northern circuit,” she said.