Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cheltenham ban threat to trainer after stunt
Elliott banned by authorities in Britain after shocking image sparks outrage O’leary backs trainer despite ‘grievous lapse of judgment’ but Betfair axe falls
GORDON Elliott was last night banned from British racing as the probe into the picture of him sitting on a dead horse continues.
And the move casts doubt over the participation of his horses – including those owned by Michael O’leary – in this month’s Cheltenham Festival.
British bosses said they were banning the Co Meath trainer from racing horses in the country as the investigation proceeds.
However, they added owners are permitted to transfer their horses to a different trainer to run them at a British meeting, assuming they comply with the rules.
A statement released last night said: “The British Horseracing Authority will not allow the Irish trainer Gordon Elliott to race horses in Britain whilst the Irish authorities investigate an image that appeared on social media over the weekend.
“The trainer admitted the photo was genuine and apologised for his actions. 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 Mr Elliott is licensed in Ireland, whose regulatory body, the IHRB [Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board], 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. The decision to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to run in Britain is therefore an interim decision which the BHA regards as proportionate in these circumstances.”
In an earlier statement, the BHA said it was “appalled” by the image which undermined its values of respecting and caring for the animals.
The photo of Mr Elliott sitting on the dead horse, appearing to give a victory sign, after it died of a heart attack has shocked the racing world and caused public outrage. There was disbelief the photo was real when it was posted on Twitter on Saturday evening, but the trainer admitted the image is genuine in a statement on Sunday night.
He “apologised profoundly” saying “the welfare of each and every horse under my care is paramount”.
The IHRB has launched an investigation and its British counterpart has been in contact with Horse Racing Ireland. The trainer, who had winners at Punchestown yesterday, has already been sacked from his role as an ambassador for bookmakers Betfair.
But Ryanair boss Mr O’leary is standing by the trainer, who is 43 today, even though he runs the risk of not having his horses at Cheltenham.
In a statement, HRI said: “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 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 photo.
“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.”
But Mr O’leary announced he will continue to support the trainer.
The Ryanair boss, who campaigns his horses under the Gigginstown House Stud banner and includes dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll in his team with Mr Elliott, described the incident as a “grievous but momentary lapse of judgment by Gordon”.
In a statement, he said: “Eddie [O’leary, brother and racing manager] 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.
“We have always found that animal
welfare comes first, second and third at Cullentra [House Stables]. 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 judgment by Gordon and not in keeping with our 15-year experience of his concern for and attention to the welfare of our horses.”
But leading online betting platform Betfair moved quickly to distance itself from Mr Elliott. A statement read: “While we recognise that Gordon deeply regrets and apologised unreservedly for his poor judgment, his actions are completely at odds with the values of the Betfair brand and that of our employees. With that in mind, we have decided to discontinue our association with Gordon with immediate effect.” Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, legendary Cork-born jockey and TV pundit Mick Fitzgerald said he felt “really sad” after reading Mr Elliott’s statement. Fighting back tears, he added: “My initial reaction to it [the photo] was, ‘I hope it’s a fake’. I just thought it has to be a fake.
“The number one thing we have to get out to everybody is how much we care about these horses.
“It’s so important everybody knows that at the heart of this are people who love these animals.
“It’s making me quite emotional because these horses have given me a life that I’m privileged to have.
“We want to celebrate them and make them realise how much they are loved by everybody in the sport.”