Gordon Elliott says his world is 'crumbling' around him as he apologised to the racing industry after a photo of him sitting on a dead horse emerged online.
The Irish trainer will not be allowed to race horses in the UK as he faces an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board investigation over the picture, for what he describes as a 'moment of madness'.
Elliott claimed that he'll spend his whole life paying for the 'indefensible' act, but hopes that the horse racing industry can forgive him.
He told 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."
Elliott released a statement on Sunday evening confirming that the image of him sitting on a dead horse while on his phone was genuine.
The British Horse Racing Authority and IHRB swiftly condemned the image, with the latter opening an investigation into the incident.
On Monday afternoon, the BHA released a statement confirming that he will not be allowed to run horses in Britain while under investigation across the Irish Sea.
The news will come as a hammer blow to the Irish trainer, who was supposed to have a number of favourites running at Cheltenham in just two weeks time.
