Gordon Elliott apologises after ‘shocking’ dead horse photo circulates online

Betfair ends association with the Irish racehorse trainer with immediate effect

Irish racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott (Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Irish racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott
(Image credit: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Leading racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott has apologised “profoundly” after a picture was posted on social media of him sitting on a dead horse.

The image, taken “some time ago”, shows Elliott sitting on the animal, which had died of an apparent heart attack. He explained that he was distracted by a phone call when waiting for the horse to be removed from the gallops, the Racing Post reports.

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Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.