Gordon Elliott’s ‘hurt’ as true cost of dead horse photo is laid bare

Trainer Ted Walsh believes the loss of Gordon Elliott's stable stars will hurt him more than the outcome of the dead horse photo investigation.

Elliott is set to hear the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's verdict on Friday, in response to the viral image, with two weeks until the Cheltenham Festival.

Walsh, 70, told RTE : "To be in Gordon Elliott’s yard yesterday and watch Envoi Allen and eight of the best horse 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."

Owner Philip Reynolds has vowed to support Elliott, who said he was "absolutely heartbroken" about the situation.

Unbeaten novice chaser Envoi Allen is one of a group of horses now with different trainers.

He also lost sponsors eCOMM Merchant Solutions, the company of owners Noel and Valerie Moran.

"It is gut-wrenching to see the impact all of this is having on my staff," Elliott told the Racing Post.

"They have been the ones who have brought such success to the yard.

"They are gutted, each and every one of them. To see them suffering because of something I have done is hard to stomach.

"I'm very lucky to have some great friends around me, people who have stuck by me despite all of this, and they are doing their best to pick me up off the floor.

"It's heartbreaking to see what is happening."

In a statement, Reynolds said he believes the “scars of this week” are the “ultimate punishment” for the Cullentra trainer.

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