As the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) investigates the case of the photograph of Gordon Elliott sitting astride a dead horse on his gallops, racing authorities in Ireland and Britain expressed their dismay at the distressing image.
A statement released by Horseracing Ireland on Monday afternoon read, “Horse Racing Ireland unreservedly condemns the disturbing photograph that appeared on social media at the weekend.
“This image does not reflect the care, attention and respect that racehorses receive, and does a disservice to the thousands of people who look after their horses on a daily basis. Horse Racing Ireland notes and supports the IHRB investigation into the circumstances around the photograph.
“From a disciplinary perspective, the matter is in process, so any further comment on the matter or the detail of the case at this time would not be appropriate.”
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) went a step further in preventing Elliott from having runners in Britain as an “interim decision” pending the outcome of the IHRB investigation.
A statement released late on Monday afternoon read: “The BHA, which regulates racing in Britain, will use powers under its own rules to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to race in Britain pending consideration of the outcome of the Irish investigation. The action taken by the BHA recognises that Mr Elliott is licensed in Ireland, whose regulatory body, the IHRB, is carrying out its own investigation. However, Mr Elliott has entered horses to race in Britain, from which point the British rules of racing apply to him.”
Gordon Elliott, who turns 43 on Tuesday, has trained more winners than any other trainer in Ireland this jumps season, his tally of 152 putting him 17 clear of 13-time Irish champion National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins and including four winners on Monday at Punchestown.
Among the horses in his Cullentra House stable in County Meath are a number of leading fancies for the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival, which begins on Mar. 16. These include the Cheveley Park Stud-owned duo of Envoi Allen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}) and Quilixios (GB) (Maxios {GB}), and Champion Bumper second-favourite Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy). Elliott is also the trainer of the widely popular dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}).
Cheveley Park Stud, which has a string of high-profile jumpers in training in Ireland, including at least nine horses with Elliott, released a statement via its Twitter account on Monday which read, “We are truly horrified and dismayed by the photograph doing the rounds on social media, however, we will await the official outcome of the investigation by the IHRB, which we trust will be swift, before making any further comment/decisions.”
Meanwhile, Michael O'Leary of Gigginstown House Stud, owner of Tiger Roll and the dead horse in the photograph subsequently identified as four-time winner Morgan (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}), pledged to stand by the trainer. He said via an official statement, “Eddie and I were deeply disappointed by the unacceptable photo which appeared on social media over the weekend. The care and welfare of all our animals comes first with all our trainers. Sadly, from time to time, our horses suffer injuries and/or fatalities and we expect all such cases to be treated with the care and attention they deserve.”
O'Leary continued, “We have always found that animal welfare comes first, second and third at Cullentra. From the facilities, to the brilliant team of people led by Gordon, our horses are trained with no expense spared for their development, welfare and care.
“We accept that this photograph was a grievous but momentary lapse of judgement by Gordon, and not in keeping with our 15-year experience of his concern for and attention to the welfare of our horses. We all make mistakes, and what is important is that we learn from them and ensure we do not repeat them. We accept Gordon's sincere, profound and unreserved apology and we will continue to support him and his team at Cullentra, as they work to recover from this deeply regrettable incident.”
It was the Grand National which first brought Elliott's name to wider prominence when, in 2007, at the age of 29, he became the youngest trainer to win the race, with Silver Birch (Ire) (Clearly Bust {GB}), in just his second season with a training licence. Tiger Roll, who is also a four-time winner at the Cheltenham Festival, won the Grand National in 2018 and 2019 and was prevented from his attempt at equalling Red Rum's record of three wins when the Aintree meeting was cancelled in the early stages of the pandemic last April.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) had earlier in the day echoed its Irish counterpart with an initial statement which read, “The BHA is appalled by the image that appeared this weekend. We expect all those in our sport to demonstrate respect for horses, on the racecourse, in the training yard, on the gallops, and wherever they have horses in their care. People who work in our industry believe their values—of caring for and respecting our horses—have been deeply undermined by this behaviour. On their behalf, and on behalf of all horse-lovers, we say loudly that British horseracing finds this totally unacceptable.”
While an announcement is awaited from the IHRB regarding potential disciplinary measures to be taken against the trainer, the BHA also hinted that it is considering its position regarding possible runners from the Elliott stable in Britain. The Cheltenham Festival, which annually attracts some 250,000 racegoers, was subsequently the subject of some criticism in the media last year as the pandemic took hold, despite the fact that it took place ten days before Britain went into national lockdown.
The statement continued, “The BHA is considering its own regulatory options, recognising that the Irish authorities licence Mr Elliott and are carrying out their own investigation.”
The photo has also affected Elliott from a commercial perspective, with Betfair announcing on Monday morning that they would discontinue their association with the trainer.
“While we recognise that Gordon deeply regrets and apologised unreservedly for his poor judgement his actions are completely at odds with the values of the Betfair brand and that of our employees,” the statement read. “With that in mind, we have decided to discontinue our association with Gordon with immediate effect.”
The UK's National Trainers Federation also released a statement condemning the image. It read, “From yesterday evening through today, the National Trainers Federation has been contacted by its members expressing outrage and disgust at the image of Gordon Elliott circulating on social media.
“Although Mr. Elliott is based in Ireland, the NTF, which represents trainers based in Great Britain, wishes the public to be in no doubt that its members distance themselves from the behaviour on display in that image, and want to emphasise their deeply felt values of care, respect and love for the racehorse. These values underpin the public's confidence in the sport, and are indispensable to the future prosperity of all who work in horseracing.”
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