Investigation launched over video of jockey sitting on dead horse
Irish horse racing authorities have launched a fresh investigation after a video emerged of another dead horse being straddled on a racing gallops.
The video is believed to be of a jockey sitting on the dead animal, while others are heard laughing in the background.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board said it was aware of the clip, which came following the furore surrounding trainer Gordon Elliott taking a phone call while sitting on a horse that had suffered a suspected heart attack on the gallops.
In a statement, the IHRB said: "[We are] aware of further social media content circulating and the matter is under investigation." The British Horseracing Authority also said they had been made aware of the video.
Elliott is already under investigation by the IHRB and has been banned from racing in Britain by the BHA while the investigation is ongoing, meaning his likely absence from the Cheltenham Festival later this month.
The BHA have given dispensation for owners to move their horses to other trainers in time for the Festival and next month's Grand National.
Today, Irish Minister of Sport Jack Chambers said 42-year-old trainer Elliott needed to be “held fully accountable” for his actions. Chambers told RTE Radio: “I was absolutely shocked, appalled and horrified by that photograph.
“I was really, really disturbed by it and I think there has to be full follow through and everything should be on the table to make sure there’s accountability and a high bar set for anyone who wants to work with animals in this country. I think the consequences are important. He needs to be held fully accountable.”
An online petition has been launched to get a ban for Elliott, with signatures already into the thousands by this morning. Elliott, who had previously tried to defend his actions, described his actions as “indefensible”.
In an interview with the Racing Post, he said: “Whether alive or dead, the horse was entitled to dignity. A moment of madness that I am going to have to spend the rest of my life paying for and my staff are suffering for.”
