Racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott has been fined £1,000 and his horse Zanahiyr disqualified from last year’s Cheltenham Champion Hurdle following an independent hearing in front of a British Horseracing Disciplinary hearing this afternoon.
The penalty was said to be in the lower middle range for the offence with particular reference made to “significant failings” in taking precautions against cross-contamination either en route or at the racecourse stables.
“The absence of any training or guidance that was given by Mr. Elliott to members of staff about how to reduce the risk of cross-contamination if they were taking medication, the fact there doesn’t appear to have been any such training or guidance in place and that there appears to have been no procedures in place to, for example, allow for members of staff taking relevant medication to notify Mr Elliott, and the fact there were simply no procedures or processes in place does amount to significant failings,” said Charlotte Davison representing the BHA.
“However, these aren’t the most significant failings this panel has ever seen and that is why we have suggested that this falls into the lower end of medium culpability.”
Elliott missed the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 having been suspended for bringing the sport into disrepute following the publishing of an inappropriate photograph of his sitting on a horse that had died.
The picture was taken some years before and no full explanation was given for why it surfaced when it did at a time to cause him maximum reputational damage.
There will be relief that this penalty draws a line under an incident that was said to be outside of his control, and that it does not impact on what will be a strong travelling party heading for Cheltenham again next month.
Elliott’s Mighty Potter was an impressive winner at the Dublin Racing festival over the weekend and will be a leading contender on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in the Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy.
