The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s referrals committee will begin hearing evidence at 9.30am on Friday, in the Gordon Elliott investigation.
Elliott has been “cooperating fully” with the IHRB since it was announced after a photograph of him sitting on a dead horse was posted on social media last weekend.
The Meath trainer has subsequently become subject to a temporary British Horseracing Authority ban on running any of his string in Britain, while top owners Cheveley Park Stud have moved their high-profile horses away from his yard.
Among those is the unbeaten Envoi Allen, who is now in the care of Henry de Bromhead.
Elliott described the shocking image as 'a moment of madness' and apologised for it.
He told the Racing Post: "It is indefensible. 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 that my staff are suffering for.
"I will be punished, I fully understand that. But it absolutely breaks my heart to read and hear people say that I have no respect for my horses. That couldn't be further from the truth. My whole life has revolved around horses since I was a child. I know nothing else. Horses are all I have. I came from nothing and built a dream.
"When your world starts crumbling in front of you, it's a scary place to be. I just hope people can understand how truly sorry I am and find some way to forgive me for what I have done."
Meanwhile, Ted Walsh believes Elliott 'needs to make sure he is okay himself'.
He told Today with Claire Byrne on RTE Radio 1: "The licence is only a detail after what happened to him in the last few days.
"To be in Gordon Elliott’s yard yesterday and watch Envoi Allen and eight of the best horses you have loaded into a box [will hurt more].
"Everyone dreams of having a Dawn Run or an Arkle. Envoi Allen might have been one of them and now he has gone. I’m sure at this stage he is so low.
"He’ll probably lose his licence for some length of time and receive a fine but I don’t know what.
"At this stage he needs to make sure he is okay himself. It is very easy to put a nail in a fella’s coffin and kick a fella when he is down. He knows he made a major blunder and what he did is wrong. I’d say he needs a bit of help now.
"People will castigate him for what he did because it was terrible but I hope mentally he can be strong enough to get over it. It is a huge blow to see your whole life crumbling like a deck of cards in front of you. He has paid for it.
"His yard is gone, his staff will be redundant. He has 80 staff and he has the damage done on his family, himself and the staff. And the only person he can blame is himself. He will pay for it dearly for a long time."
