Gordon Elliott has made a handful of entries for Tuesday’s Flat meeting at Punchestown after his six-month ban expired on Thursday.
The trainer was suspended by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in March after an image of him sitting on a dead horse was widely circulated on social media.
Elliott was banned for 12 months, with half of that sentence suspended, and ordered to pay costs of €15,000 with the IHRB stating the punishment reflected “the seriousness of the offence and the damage to the Irish racing industry” after the image provoked huge public outcry.
Denise Foster took temporary control of Elliott’s Cullentra base, enjoying a Grade One winner at the Cheltenham Festival with Mares’ Hurdle victor Black Tears while also saddling dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll as he bounced back to winning form with a wide-margin success in the cross country.
Elliott is now free to resume business at his County Meath yard and has five possibles at Punchestown.
Oh Purple Reign, who was a winner at Gowran for Foster on September 1, could be Elliott’s first runner back in the Donate To The Coast To The Curragh Cycle In Honour Of Pat Smullen Handicap, while Captain Middleton could contest the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden.
Both Alice Kitty and Royal Eagle have been entered in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap, with Gift Of Kings his other contender of the day in the Irish Racing Working Together Handicap.
Elliott appears likely to have his first jumps runners back on track on Wednesday, having entered seven horses at Sligo.
He has a possible contender in each of the seven races on the card – although Chesterville and Silver Star both hold two optional engagements
Elliott purchased three horses from Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud on Wednesday ahead of his return to racing.
Elliott and bloodstock agent Aidan 'Mouse' O'Ryan forked out almost €50,000 for bumper and chase winner Forged In Fire, who was previously trained by Joseph O'Brien, €43,000 for four-time hurdle winner Smoking Gun and €16,000 for Mortal.
Smoking Gun and Mortal were both trained by Elliott for Gigginstown, but will now run in new colours for the three-time Grand National winning trainer.
On March 2, in a reaction to the shocking picture, top owners Cheveley Park Stud removed all of their horses from Elliott's yard, including the then unbeaten superstar Envoi Allen.
Elliott told the Racing Post: "That was the lowest point throughout it all."
"I had worked very hard to source those horses, and then they were gone. Just like that.
"When Envoi Allen was here, there wasn't a night I didn't lie in bed thinking about him. And now that he is gone, there still isn't a night I don't lie in bed thinking about him."
Although hot favourite Envoi Allen fell at the Cheltenham Festival, two other Cheveley Park horses previously trained by Elliott - Quilixios and Sir Gerhard - won at the meeting for Henry de Bromhead and Willie Mullins, respectively.
Elliott said: "When Quilixios won the Triumph Hurdle, Henry de Bromhead rang me to say 'Well done', and he made a point of acknowledging me on television, which was decent of him.
"And Sir Gerhard hadn't crossed the line in the Champion Bumper when I got a text from Willie Mullins."
Elliott added: "I have never had a cross word with any of the owners who left.
"I still speak to them all and the gate is always open. I understand completely why they had to go.
"Having said that, I still have a brilliant bunch of owners here who have stuck by me and want to support me and want to see me get back to where I was."
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