Gordon Elliott: Irish coach stopped by Betfair as investigation into ‘dead horse’ photo started Racing news

Gigginstown House Stud, one of Ireland’s leading ownership groups, says it will continue to support Gordon Elliott after an investigation was launched into an image showing the coach sitting on a dead horse.

The image was posted and shared widely on Twitter, and the sport’s regulatory board (Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board) in Ireland later tweeted: “The IHRB is aware of an image circulating on social media and the matter is under investigation”.

Elliott has said he wishes to ‘apologize deeply’ for the image and is in “full cooperation” with the IRHB investigation.

Michael O’Leary, who campaigns his horses under the Gigginstown House Stud banner with his brother Eddie, including the two-time Grand National Tiger Roll winner, described the incident as a “serious but momentary lapse of judgment on Gordon’s part.” and intends to maintain its association with the County Meath Manager.

In a statement Monday, O’Leary said: “Eddie and I were deeply disappointed by the unacceptable photo that appeared on social media over the weekend.

“The care and well-being of all our horses comes first with all of our trainers. Unfortunately, from time to time our horses suffer injuries and / or deaths and we hope that all these cases will be treated with the care and attention they deserve.

“We have always found that animal welfare comes first, second and third in Cullentra. From the facilities, to the brilliant team of people led by Gordon, our horses are trained at no expense to their development, well-being and care.

“We accept that the photograph was a painful but momentary lapse of judgment on Gordon’s part, and not in keeping with our 15-year experience of his concern and care for the welfare of our horses.

“We all make mistakes, and the important thing is that we learn from them and make sure we don’t repeat them. We accept Gordon’s deep, sincere and unreserved apology, and we will continue to support him and his team at Cullentra as they work deeply to recover from this incident. regrettable “.

Cheveley Park Stud, which has the Cheltenham Festival favorite Envoi Allen among its horses in training with Elliott, said: “We are truly appalled and dismayed by the photograph circulating on social media. However, we will await the official outcome of the investigation. by the IHRB, which we trust will be prompt, before making further comments / decisions. “

On Monday, Betfair announced that it had dropped Elliott as one of the company’s ambassadors.

A Betfair spokesperson said: “While we acknowledge that Gordon deeply regrets and unreservedly apologized for his poor judgment, his actions are completely at odds with the values ​​of the Betfair brand and those of our employees.

“With that in mind, we have decided to discontinue our partnership with Gordon with immediate effect.”

In her statement Sunday night, Elliott said: “I would like to address the speculation and rumors that have abounded since an old photo of me began circulating on social media yesterday afternoon.

“First of all, I deeply apologize for any offense this photo has caused and I can categorically affirm that the welfare of each and every horse in my care is paramount and has been critical to the success 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 galloping heart attack. I appreciate that an initial view of this photo suggests that it is an insensitive and staged photo, but nothing could be further from true.

“In what was a sad moment, which is when any horse in my care dies, my initial reaction was to remove the body from where it was placed.

“I was standing next to the horse waiting to help with the removal of the body, in the course of which, in my memory I received a call and, without thinking, I sat down to take it. I heard a shout from one of my team, I made a gesture to wait until it finished.

“This background information may seem trivial at this point and will not allay the concerns of many people both within and outside of the horse racing world.

“However, I think it’s important to give people some context around this photo. For the racing community, for anyone who has worked with and loves horses, and for anyone who is offended by this image, I cannot excuse me enough.

“The welfare of the horse and the care and attention to detail involved is absolutely at the core of everything we do here and I and my entire team pride ourselves on those standards.

“Again I apologize for any offense caused and ask people to consider this statement in contrast to the various falsehoods and misinformation circulating on social media.

“At this time, I would like to emphasize that I continue to extend my full cooperation with the IHRB’s ongoing investigation.”

Elliott is a three-time Grand National winner, having sent Silver Birch to claim the Aintree award before Tiger Roll became the first consecutive race winner since Red Rum by lifting the marathon event in 2018 and 2019.

The County Meath handler also counts 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Don Cossack among the best horses he has ever trained, with 32 wins at the Cheltenham Festival so far.

Elliott hosts a number of favorites for this year’s Festival, including Envoi Allen and Zanahiyr, while Tiger Roll himself will also race Glenfarclas Chase over the Cheltenham cross country hurdles.

Fitzgerald ’emotional’ during discussion on horse welfare

Former Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National winning rider Mick Fitzgerald said Sky sports racing the image saddened him during an emotional discussion about the welfare of horses.

“My initial reaction was, ‘I hope it’s fake,'” Fitzgerald said. “When I read that statement [from Elliott], I can’t help feeling anything but feeling so sad.

“The first thing we have to tell everyone is how much we care about these horses. It is very important.

“At the heart of this [the racing industry] They are people who love these animals. I am very excited because these horses have given me a life that I am privileged to have.

“I have been in situations where the horses that I care for and ride have unfortunately made the ultimate sacrifice in our sport and the care and attention they receive until the end is very important.”

“We want to celebrate [the horses]. We have nothing but the interest of these animals at heart. “