‘INDEFENSIBLE’

I’ll pay for this for rest of my life, says Elliott

GORDON Elliott last night opened up on his ‘stupidity’ which has cast a dark shadow over his reputation in racing.

As the sport castigated the trainer’s mindless decision to straddle a dead horse on his gallops for a photo, a contrite Elliott accepted he will ‘spend the rest of my life’ paying for an ‘indefensible moment of madness’.

In an interview with the Racing Post, Elliott accepted that he damaged himself, and the sport, by posing on Morgan, a horse owned by Gigginstown House, which collapsed and died on his gallops in County Meath in 2019.

‘It is indefensible. Whether alive or dead, the horse was entitled to dignity,’ he said.

‘A moment of madness that I am going to have to spend the rest of my life paying for and that my staff are suffering for. I will be punished, I fully understand that.’

‘But it absolutely breaks my heart to read and hear people say that I have no respect for my horses. That couldn’t be further from the truth. My whole life has revolved around horses since I

was a child. I know nothing else. Horses are all I have. I came from nothing and built a dream. ‘When your world starts crumbling in front of you, it’s a scary place to be. ‘I just hope people can understand how truly sorry I am and find some way to forgive me for what I have done.’ The O’Leary brothers, Michael and Eddie, have accepted Elliott’s apology and are backing him as the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) continues to investigate. Pending that outcome, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have banned Elliott from sending runners to Britain — a fortnight ahead of the Cheltenham Festival. The IHRB are expected to summon Elliott to a hearing before the end of the week. They have the authority to impose a ban on the Meath trainer, which wouldn’t come into effect until a fortnight after the judgement. In theory, that could create a window for Elliott to carry on training through Cheltenham Festival week, or longer should he appeal any sanction. But the hard-line stance of the BHA indicates they would not welcome Elliott to their turf. The horses being prepared for Cheltenham, including the unbeaten Envoi Allen and dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll, could run if transferred to another trainer. The ground shifted under Elliott when he became aware of the image circulating while he was at Fairyhouse on Saturday. ‘I received a phone call after the second-last race at Fairyhouse on Saturday telling me about the image that had appeared on social media,’ he said. ‘My initial reaction was that it couldn’t possibly have been me but then the picture was sent to me and I realised it was. ‘There were a lot of people telling me to say it was photoshopped, but the one thing I’ve always been told in life is that if you start telling lies you will end up telling lies for the rest of your life. ‘I instantly realised the magnitude of the situation and thought about all I had worked so hard for. ‘I bought my yard nine years ago and the day I bought it I didn’t even have the deposit to pay for it. I have worked so hard to get to where I am today. ‘My heart goes out to all my staff. I know how hard they work. I know that I have not only let them down but that I have let the whole racing industry down too. That is down to my stupidity and I am truly, truly sorry.’ ‘The welfare of my horses, both physically and mentally, is massive. I can guarantee that this will never happen again to any animal, alive or dead.’ O’Leary, the chief patron of Elliott’s Cullentra yard, is standing by the trainer who delivered the Gold Cup and two Grand National wins for horses in Gigginstown House maroon and white silks. ‘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,’ he said. ‘We have always found that animal welfare comes first, second and third at Cullentra.’