Betfair cuts ties with Elliott after picture emerges of him sitting on a dead horse
Gordon Elliott, the Grand National-winning trainer, has apologised following the release of an image on social media which shows him sitting on a dead horse on the gallops.
Betfair has discontinued its association with Elliott with immediate effect after the picture was posted and widely shared on Twitter on Saturday.
After many voiced initial doubts about the authenticity of the photograph, the County Meath trainer issued a statement late on Sunday evening confirming it was, in fact, genuine.
Elliott, 42, insisted “horse welfare and care are at the core of everything” that is done at his Cullentra House Stables.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has launched a full investigation and, on Monday morning, Betfair – for whom Elliott has been an ambassador for several years – confirmed it was to cut ties with the trainer.
A statement from the online betting company read: “While we recognise 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. With that in mind, we have decided to discontinue our association with Gordon with immediate effect.”
Elliott has sought to explain the picture in a statement
which stressed how important animal welfare was to him.
“Firstly, I apologise profoundly for any offence this photo has caused and can categorically state the welfare of each and every horse under my care is paramount and has been central to the success that we have enjoyed here at Cullentra.
“The photo in question was taken some time ago and occurred after a horse had died of an apparent heart attack on the gallops.
"I appreciate an initial viewing of this suggests it is a callous and staged photo but nothing could be further from the truth.
"At what was a sad time, which it is when any horse under my care passes away, my initial reaction was to get the body removed from where it was positioned.
“I was standing over the horse waiting to help with the removal of the body, in the course of which, to my memory I received a call and, withthis
out thinking, I sat down to take it. Hearing a shout from one of my team, I gestured to wait until I was finished. Such backgroundinformationmayseem trivial at this time and will not allay the concerns of many people both within and outside the world of horse racing.
“However, I feel it is important to provide people with some context surrounding this photo. To the racing community, to anyone who has worked with and loves horses and to anyone offended by
image, I cannot apologise enough. Horse welfare and the care and attention to detail involved is absolutely at the core of everything we do here and both myself and all of my team pride ourselves on those standards. I continue to extend my full co-operation with the ongoing IHRB investigation.”
The IHRB said it was aware of the image and those inquiries are ongoing, with the authority working towards a swift resolution.