Gordon Elliott and Rob James await judgments on dead horse incidents
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) will convene its Referrals Committee on Friday to hear the case relating to an image of the leading trainer Gordon Elliott sitting on a dead horse on his gallops, which has circulated widely online in recent days.
The IHRB panel will hear evidence and consider the findings of an investigation that was launched on Saturday, after the picture of Elliott astride Michael O’Leary’s steeplechaser Morgan, who died as a seven-year-old in 2019, appeared on social media, prompting anger and disgust inside and outside racing.
It will then decide on a penalty for
Elliott, who admitted on Sunday evening that the photograph was genuine and has subsequently suggested it was the result of “a moment of madness”. Possible penalties include a substantial fine, the loss of his licence or a combination of the two.
It is unclear, however, whether the outcome of the hearing will be announced on Friday. If it is not, it will add to the uncertainty surrounding the stable with the Cheltenham Festival, where Elliott had seven winners last year, two weeks away.
The IHRB will also continue an inquiry into a video of the amateur jockey Rob James climbing on to the back of a horse lying dead next to a gallop, which emerged on Tuesday.
James, who rode Elliott’s Native
Milan to victory at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, said on Tuesday that he wished to “sincerely apologise” for the video, in which he is seen briefly climbing on to the horse’s corpse, accompanied by laughter from onlookers, shortly before it was to be removed.
“I have become aware of a video circulating of me on social media,” James told the Irish Field. “I would just like to apologise for my actions which were wholly inappropriate and disrespectful to a lovely five-year-old mare, who unfortunately suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while at exercise earlier that morning, April 30, 2016.
“I sincerely apologise to the owners of the mare, the staff who cared for her, the horseracing industry and all followers of horseracing for my actions.
“To try defending my stupidity at the time would add further insult and hurt to the many loyal people that have supported me during my career. I have caused embarrassment to my employers, my family and most importantly the sport I love. I am heartbroken by the damage I have caused and will do my best to try and make amends to those hurt by my conduct.”
The British Horseracing Authority said on Monday that Elliott will not be allowed to race his horses in Britain until the case against him is complete. While that could now be as early as Friday, eight horses owned by Patricia Thompson’s Cheveley Park Stud in
Newmarket left the yard on Tuesday, including four with big chances at the Festival.
Envoi Allen, unbeaten in 12 starts and odds-on favourite for the Marsh Novice Chase on 18 March, will join Henry de Bromhead’s stable along with
Ballyadam and Quilixios, who are at single-figure odds for the Supreme Novice Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle respectively. Sir Gerhard, the secondfavourite for the Champion Bumper, will move to Willie Mullins.
“We had to consider what was happening, with the building story and the backdrop of Cheveley’s reputation,” Richard Thompson, a director of the Stud, said on Sky Sports Racing.
“It’s very disappointing and extremely upsetting for the industry. I don’t know what the implications are longer term, I’m not close enough to the centre of the politics of racing and how it works between Britain and Ireland.
All I know is, with my Cheveley Park Stud hat on, we had to take a decision as a board of directors to disassociate ourselves with Gordon at this time and do the right thing by the stud and by the industry.”
Asked if there was a possibility of Cheveley Park renewing its association with Elliott in the longer term, Thompson said: “For the time being we’re moving the horses and that’s it.
“For Gordon, it’s a terrible time for him, but he’s made a terrible error of judgment, which he admits. I’m not going to make a comment about longterm, but certainly in the short-tomedium term, these horses will stay with Henry and Willie.”