The Cheltenham festival was mired in controversy over alleged racial abuse on Wednesday evening after Declan Queally, an Irish amateur jockey, claimed the leading British rider Nico de Boinville had subjected him to a series of verbal attacks before the start of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.
Queally and De Boinville could be seen exchanging words on ITV Racing’s coverage as 21 runners and riders jostled for position before the start of the opening race.
De Boinville, who was riding the well-backed Act Of Innocence, appeared to tell Queally, who is the trainer and rider of I’ll Sort That, to “get back”, before turning his own mount to take a spot against the rail where I’ll Sort That had been standing.
Queally later told the Racing Post he had been subjected to verbal abuse by De Boinville, some of which was racially based. “I was boxing for my position down the inside and there was a lot of general bunching going on,” he said.
“It was competitive down there and I got repeated racial abuse from Nico de Boinville when I was coming in around the corner and then he called me a fucking prick a couple of times in front of the ITV camera.
“I just didn’t talk back to him, thankfully I didn’t open my mouth. He tried to single me out as if I was the one causing the hassle. When he was shouting, he was picking on me when trying to hold his position.”
Queally, who rode I’ll Sort That to a Grade One victory in Ireland against professional riders this season, finished fifth, while De Boinville was second on Act Of Innocence.
Queally said he felt he had been singled out by De Boinville because he is an Irish amateur jockey.
“Everyone was at fault and I was just rooting for myself,” he said. “There was no need for it. None of the other lads would do it because they know you can’t just single out an Irish amateur rider like that. It’s not fair. It was very unprofessional.
“[The leading Irish riders] Jack Kennedy or Paul Townend would know I’m as entitled to be there as much as they are, and it’s competitive, so they wouldn’t single out someone because they’re an amateur.”
As he returned to unsaddle after the race, Queally had told ITV Racing’s Matt Chapman that “the start was a bit of a mess and I got trapped back further than I wanted”, before adding: “Being abused by an English rider, Nico de Boinville, is not very nice. I’m an amateur, I’m coming over here riding in front of my kids and that, horrific.”
Interviewed by Chapman shortly afterwards, De Boinville was asked about Queally’s comments on the start. “Maybe he should look in the mirror,” he said.
The stewards opened an inquiry into the incident after a complaint by Queally. The panel said on the British Horseracing Authority’s website: “The stewards, having heard the initial evidence from [Declan] Queally and Nico de Boinville, have adjourned the matter to obtain further evidence.”
The Turners Novices’ Hurdle was not the only race when the starting procedures came under scrutiny with a number of riders reported to have been unhappy with the start of the 24-runner BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle.
Chapman reported that Mark Walsh, the rider of 10-1 shot Kopeck De Mee, had complained “they let them go when we weren’t ready, it’s just a joke”, while Kennedy, who rode Farren Glory, said “there are too many runners, it’s too tight and we’re being packed together”.
The BHA said on Wednesday evening that it would not comment on Queally’s allegations pending the outcome of the stewards’ inquiry. De Boinville has yet to respond to a request for comment.
There were no problems with the start of the 10-runner Champion Chase, but it became apparent just after halfway that Willie Mullins’s Majborough, the 5-6 favourite, had lost confidence in his jumping after a slip at the eighth.
It was close to a re-run of last year’s Arkle Trophy, when Majborough set off at odds-on and blundered away his chance two out, but as he dropped away to finish seventh, it was his stable companion Il Etait Temps who emerged to take control between the final two fences.
The leader slipped after jumping the last, but Townend managed to sit tight to complete a double for the Mullins yard in the feature events on the first two days of the meeting, after Lossiemouth’s success in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle.
