LAST Saturday afternoon at Fairyhouse Gordon Elliott was interviewed by racing media. It was just after the first race, a Grade 3 hurdle for juveniles, which had been won impressively by the Elliott-trained Teahupoo.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Teahupoo would be the stable star in 99% of training yards. Naturally, the press asked if the horse would be on the boat for Cheltenham.

Elliott replied: “He’s in everything at Cheltenham but I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back here instead at Easter for the Grade 2.”

The fact was that Elliott already had the first two favourites for the Triumph Hurdle, so he could afford to leave Teahupoo at home. An embarrassment of riches. Testament to the fact that Elliott was the go-to man these days for a host of big-spending racehorse owners.

Here was a man who started training in 2006 with nothing, but who rose dramatically through the ranks over the next decade – largely through his own talent and ambition – to be an obvious champion trainer in waiting, with the biggest names in jump racing among his clientele.

Elliott had plenty to look forward to. He had 145 winners in the bag already this season – 14 more than Willie Mullins – and so much to look forward to at Cheltenham, where he had seven winners last year.

Timebomb

But as he went off to saddle Petit Mouchoir in the second race at Fairyhouse last Saturday, little did he or any of us know there was a timebomb about to explode. Within six days, everything Gordon Elliott had built up would be taken away and he would be in hiding, banned from doing what he has done so well for 15 years.

Today the racing community is still coming to terms with the events of a whirlwind week. There are so many storylines and so many questions.

How much damage has been done to Irish racing’s reputation?

Are there more shocking images or videos still to come?

Can Gordon Elliott come back from this?

Yesterday’s Referrals Committee hearing brought some sort of closure to this unedifying episode. The many people understandably offended by the Elliott photograph will be pleased to have seen a stiff penalty issued, and hopefully the sport has begun to win back the confidence of anyone who started to harbour doubts about the way in which racehorses might be treated by those caring for them.

Looking ahead, perhaps this controversy will lead to more efforts being made to show the public the high level of care given to racehorses. Those in racing who might previously have considered a bit of ‘horseplay’ will think twice. We have seen how one thoughtless moment can swiftly escalate into an industry-wide crisis.

The bigger picture stuff was easy to see this week, as racing’s critics seized their moment to raise all manner of grievances. The whip, working conditions for stable staff, the use of animals for sport in the first place. We may never know the full extent of the damage done this week to racing’s unwritten ‘social contract’ with the general public, but the sport has certainly lost potential racegoers, owners and probably the support of some wavering politicians.

But this writer would argue that the real story this week has been the very public unravelling of one of the sport’s most successful and recognisable figures. It was not just a cautionary tale, it was a real-life drama, a personal calamity played out in real-time in full public view.

Social media

Social media was not responsible for what happened to Gordon Elliott this week – he has accepted responsibility for his own actions – but if you wanted an example of how social media can play a huge role in destroying a person’s good name overnight, look no further.

There were days this week when you could not put down your phone for 15 minutes or you would have fallen behind the story, it was moving that fast. Rumours, texts, tweets, statements, apologies, accusations, radio phone-ins, news bulletins, even Ministerial comment. In 30 years as a racing journalist, I have never known anything like it.

It dominated many of our thoughts all day and probably kept many in racing awake at night too.

What is going to happen next and where is this all going to end?

On these pages, we look back at the events of an unforgettable week for Irish racing and we ask if there is a way back for Gordon Elliott.