Horse Racing Ireland chief 'appalled and bewildered' by Gordon Elliott photo

Trainer Gordon Elliott came under fire when an image of him sitting on a dead horse was published. File Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

The boss of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) said he had never been “so depressed” and he would need to “put the crash helmet” on to deal with the fallout from a photo of star trainer Gordon Elliott sitting on a dead horse.

Brian Kavanagh also asked “what could he [Elliott] have been thinking” in text messages exchanged with associates, which were released under FOI.