'It is indefensible...alive or dead, the horse was entitled to dignity'
Gordon Elliott believes he will spend the rest of his life paying for the shocking photograph taken of him sitting on a dead horse.
The Longwood-based trainer is facing an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board investigation after the photo began circulating on social media at the weekend.
Elliott's first response to the rising furore was brief and said he was aware of the image and would be co-operating with the authorities into any investigation. Late on Sunday night the Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer issued a further statement explaining the sequence of events that led up to the photo being taken but that did little to quell the public anger that has been building through the day.
At the same time he trained four winners at Punchestown on Monday afternoon, it was announced that he was barred from having runners in the UK while the investigation is ongoing.
Speaking to the Racing Post on Monday evening, Elliott described the photo as a "moment of madness".
"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.
Elliott added, "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."
Tiger Roll's owners - Gigginstown House Stud - said they will be standing by Elliott, saying "We all make mistakes, and what is important is that we learn from them and ensure we do not repeat them.
"We accept Gordon's sincere, profound and unreserved apology and we will continue to support him and his team at Cullentra, as they work to recover from this deeply regrettable incident."