Trainer Gordon Elliott suspended from races in Britain pending investigation into image of him sitting on dead horse
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has said it will not allow the Irish trainer Gordon Elliott to race horses in Britain whilst he is under investigation after an image of him sitting on a dead horse emerged on social media.
The BHA, which said that it was "appalled" by the image, said it will use powers under its own rules to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to race in Britain pending consideration of the outcome of the investigation.
The Grand National-winning trainer, who admitted the image was genuine, is under investigation by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.
In a statement, the BHA said: "The action taken by the BHA recognises that Mr Elliott is licensed in Ireland, whose regulatory body, the IHRB, is carrying out its own investigation.
"However, Mr Elliott has entered horses to race in Britain, from which point the British Rules of Racing apply to him.
"The decision to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to run in Britain is therefore an interim decision which the BHA regards as proportionate in these circumstances." Mr Elliott issued a statement late on Sunday confirming the photo was genuine, having initially expressed doubts about the authenticity of the image.
The 42-year-old County Meath trainer said he “cannot apologise enough” and sought to explain the context around the photo.
In a statement he said: “Firstly, I apologise profoundly for any offence that this photo has caused and can categorically state that 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 that an initial viewing of this photo 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, without thinking, I sat down to take it.
"Hearing a shout from one of my team, I gestured to wait until I was finished."
In an earlier statement, the BHA said it was "appalled" by the image.
It added: "We expect all those in our sport to demonstrate respect for horses, on the racecourse, in the training yard, on the gallops, and wherever they have horses in their care."
A spokesperson said: “We hope the Irish authorities will quickly confirm how this shocking picture originated.
“Respect for horses is a fundamental value of our sport, contrary to the impression in this picture. The IHRB have assured us that the investigation will be carried out as quickly as possible and that they will keep us informed as more information becomes available.”
On Monday morning, Betfair - for which Elliott has been an ambassador for several years - confirmed it would dissociate itself from the trainer.
Its statement read: “While we recognise that 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.”
A spokesperson for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, which is conducting an investigation, said on Monday: “As is the case with all investigations carried out by the IHRB, there is a process that must be followed – and that will be the case in this instance.
“As stated over the weekend, this will be dealt with as quickly as possible.”
Elliott is a three-time Grand National winner, having sent out Silver Birch to claim the Aintree prize before Tiger Roll became the first back-to-back winner of the race since Red Rum when lifting the world-famous event in 2018 and 2019.