FRESH SHAME FOR RACING: New video ‘shows jockey Rob James jumping on top of a dead horse’

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Rob James, a jockey who won at Cheltenham in 2020 on a Gordon Elliott trained horse, has appeared in a shocking video where he appears to sit on a dead horse.

Irish trainer Elliott has been temporarily banned from entering horses into British races and is being investigated by the British Horseracing Authority after a grotesque picture emerged of him posing astride a dead horse.

Now James, who is from Wexford, 80 miles south of Dublin, appears to do the same in an appalling video that has emerged across social media on Tuesday.

In a statement this morning, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board said: ‘The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board are aware of further social media content circulating and the matter is under investigation.’

James is scheduled to ride in the 5:20 at Gowran Park, County Kilkenny today. He is yet to comment on the circumstances of the video.

It is not clear when the video is filmed but Jones is with at least two other people in the footage, with laughter heard as he poses as if he is riding the animal.

Last year at Cheltenham, James rode Milan Native, an Elliott horse, to win the Kim Muir for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown.

Irish amateur James also competed on Monday, riding the horse ‘King of Brazil’ in the Blackhills Flat Race, finishing in fifth, despite the storm surrounding the image of Elliott. 

Elliott was banned on Monday from having runners in Britain while Irish authorities investigate the shocking picture of the trainer sitting on a dead horse while talking on his mobile phone.

The top trainer claimed in a statement that he took a phone call and sat down on the horse ‘without thinking’, adding the image was taken ‘some time ago’.

The dramatic banning of Elliott by the British Horseracing Authority throws a huge question mark over his entries at the Cheltenham Festival, which starts in two weeks.

They include his dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll and unbeaten Envoi Allen, hot favourite for the Marsh Novices’ Chase.

The BHA described their decision as ‘proportionate in these circumstances’.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board have so far given no indication when a disciplinary hearing might be held as they continue their probe into the damaging image that was circulated widely on social media last weekend.

The BHA said in a statement: ‘The action taken by the BHA recognises that Mr Elliott is licensed in Ireland, whose regulatory body 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.’

The move heaps pressure on the IHRB to swiftly investigate the circumstances surrounding the picture and take action. Earlier on Monday, the BHA had said they were ‘appalled by the image’, adding: ‘We expect all those in our sport to demonstrate respect for horses wherever they have them in their care.

‘People who work in our industry believe their values of caring for and respecting our horses have been deeply undermined by this behaviour.

‘On their behalf, and on behalf of all horse-lovers, we say loudly that British horseracing finds this totally unacceptable.’

Speaking on Sunday, Elliott said the photo dated back to ‘some time ago’ and denied suggestions his actions had been ‘callous’, stressing that he was caught off-guard after receiving a phone call.

‘I would like to address the speculation and rumours that have been rife since an old photo of me began circulating on social media yesterday afternoon,’ he wrote in a statement.

‘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.’

Elliott, who turned 43 on March 2, hit out at ‘falsehoods and misinformation’ around the picture on social media but said he put horse welfare first and would continue to co-operate with the investigation.

‘Such background information may seem trivial at this time and will not allay the concerns of many people both within and outside the world of horse racing,’ he added.

‘However, I feel it is important to provide people with some context surrounding this photo. To the racing community, to anyone who has worked with and loves horses and to anyone offended by this image I cannot apologise enough.

‘Horse welfare and the care and attention to detail involved is absolutely at the core of everything we do here and both myself and all of my team pride ourselves on those standards.

‘Again I apologise for any offence caused and ask people to consider this statement as opposed to the various falsehoods and misinformation being circulated on social media.’