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Gordon Elliott’s outfield sponsor terminated his contract with the Irish coach after a photo of him sitting on a dead horse surfaced online.
eCOMM Merchant Solutions said in a brief statement that they were terminating their sponsorship agreement with Elliott “due to recent events.”
One of the largest groups of owners in the races, Cheveley Park Stud, had already confirmed that the eight horses trained by Elliott will be relocated amid an investigation into the trainer.
Racing authorities in Britain and Ireland have condemned the image of Elliott sitting on a dead horse, which Elliott confirmed in a statement Sunday night was genuine, apologizing “deeply for any offense this photo may have caused”, while seeks to explain what he said. It was the context of the events that led to the photograph.
The British Horse Racing Authority said it was “shocked” by the image and prohibited Elliott from saddling riders in Britain while the investigation is underway.
Gigginstown House Stud, run by Michael and Eddie O’Leary, announced Monday that it would continue to support Elliott, but many of its runners face the prospect of being excluded from the lucrative Cheltenham Festival later this month.
Among the eight Cheveley Park Stud horses currently trained by Elliott is Cheltenham Festival favorite Envoi Allen, who will move in to fellow Irish trainer Henry from Bromhead, along with his stablemates Quilixios and Ballyadam.
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Cheveley Park Stud’s Richard Thompson told Sky Sports Racing exclusively of his decision to remove all eight horses from Gordon Elliott’s yard following an investigation into the trainer.
Sir Gerhard, who is set to put his undefeated record on the line in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, will be trained by Willie Mullins, who already hosts the favorite for the race at Kilcruit.
Richard Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud said Sky sports racing: “This morning we made the decision to take the horses out of Gordon’s yard.
“We have eight horses [with Elliott], and they’ll go to Bromhead’s Henry and Willie Mullins. That will be organized by Chris Richardson and the team. The logistics are in place and we are organizing it right now.
Gigginstown House Stud, owned by Michael O’Leary (right), has pledged his support for Elliott
“We had to consider what was happening yesterday with the history of the building and the backdrop to Cheveley’s reputation in terms of probably the most important British-owned breeding and racing operations in the UK, and the fact that this Reputation has been built, we have several breeders and many people who support us.
“We had to look at the context of Cheveley’s position in the industry and our responsibility to the industry in Great Britain.
“Obviously for Gordon, it’s a terrible time for him, but he’s obviously made a terrible error in judgment that he admits, but I explained to him that we had to do the right thing at Cheveley Park.
“I’m not close enough to the heart of horse racing politics and how it works between Britain and Ireland and how these relationships work, but all I know with my Cheveley Park Stud hat is that we had to make a decision as a board. directors to disassociate ourselves from Gordon at this time. “
The Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board has announced that it will meet on Friday 5 March to “hear evidence and consider an investigation related to Gordon Elliott.”
In an interview with the Racing post on Monday night, Elliott described his behavior as “indefensible” and said he would spend the rest of his life paying for “a moment of madness.”
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