An Irish non-professional rider has accused top British jockey Nico de Boinville of directing a racially abusive comment towards him during an incident at Cheltenham on Wednesday. Declan Queally and de Boinville, who rides for Nicky Henderson, engaged in a heated exchange during the tumultuous start of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, the first race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Tensions rose as the riders vied for position among the 21-horse field, resulting in the starter calling two false starts before the race commenced. De Boinville ultimately finished second on Act Of Innocence, with the victory going to King Rasko Grey trained by Willie Mullins, while Queally finished fifth on I’ll Sort That.
Following the race, Queally expressed his discontent to ITV Racing, stating, “The start was chaotic. Being subjected to abuse by English rider Nico de Boinville is unacceptable. I’m an amateur. I traveled here to ride in front of my children, and such behavior is appalling.” De Boinville responded, “Perhaps he should reflect on his own actions.”
During a subsequent stewards’ inquiry, it was reported that Jack Kennedy, Queally, Danny Gilligan, and Darragh O’Keeffe did not approach the starting line appropriately, leading to the false starts. Kennedy and Queally received one-day suspensions for start misconduct, while Gilligan and O’Keefe were suspended for two days due to a second offense within a year.
Queally lodged a complaint regarding the incident at the start, alleging that de Boinville had verbally abused him in front of the ITV camera. He later clarified to Mirror Racing that the abuse was racially charged and that he had reported the matter to the BHA stewards. De Boinville declined to comment when contacted for a response.
A stewards’ notice indicated, “After hearing initial evidence from Queally and Nico de Boinville, the stewards have postponed the matter to gather additional evidence.”
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