Elliott feels brunt of photo scandal with James also in hot water
THE fallout from the Gordon Elliott photo scandal took another nasty twist yesterday with Cheltenham Festival-winning rider Rob James also seeing his reputation in ruins after a shocking video emerged of the amateur jockey sitting on a dead horse.
Elliott felt the full brunt of a public outcry after a picture from 2019 came to light over the weekend of him sitting on a dead horse while on the phone and the Meath trainer has already paid heavily for his actions with a host of his stars heading for the exit gate of his Cullentra yard.
Superstar chaser Envoi Allen, as well as Triumph Hurdle hopeful Quilixios and Champion Bumper second favourite Sir Gerhard, were among by which the have powerful an eight-strong been Cheveley removed squad Park from owned Stud Elliott’s yard immediately.
Henry de Bromhead and Willie Mullins, who already train for the British-based owners, are the main benefactors with many of that octet set to race under their banner at the Cheltenham Festival in two weeks’ time with De Bromhead selected to take charge of Envoi Allen.
Leading English trainer Paul Nicholls offered a word of caution about the difficulties which switching stables could present for these leading lights so close to the Cotswolds, though, and he feels it may be detrimental to their chances.
“It wouldn’t be ideal for horse or trainer. You wouldn’t want to change a horse’s diet so close to Cheltenham, then there’s new routine and a lot of things you have to do to get it right. It can make a massive impact and would not be increasing your chances,” Nicholls said yesterday. “The horses could be unsettled. You’d really want them on the same hay, same feed, same diet, and people (trainers) do things so totally different.
“It is quite a shock to the horses and it is not going to be an advantage moving them so close to Cheltenham, that is for sure.”
Elliott is barred from having runners in Britain at present as the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) put together an investigation into the photo which has rocked racing with the 43-year-old set for his Referral Hearing on Friday.
The IHRB have also launched an investigation into James after a destructive week for Irish racing took a further nosedive when a tasteless clip appeared on social media yesterday showing the Wexford rider sitting on top of a dead horse on an unidentified gallop in 2016. James (has issued an apology for the “wholly inappropriate and disrespectful” video where laughs can be heard from the three people in close proximity to him as he sits on top of the deceased five-year-old mare before then dismounting.
The 28-year-old (pictured), who has partnered 235 point-to-point winners, enjoyed his finest moment in the saddle when partnering the Elliott-trained Milan Native to success at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but his reputation now lies in tatters.
James, who was “heartbroken” by the damage he has caused to racing, had been set to partner the Seán Doyle-trained Gentle Jolie in the last race at Gowran Park yesterday afternoon before the five-year-old was announced as a non-runner.