THIS week’s lead story needs no introduction, and even if you lived in Timbuktu or Ulan Bataar, you would have done well to avoid the news and the subsequent fallout of what absolutely no-one is now calling Gordongate.

The reaction on social media was to be expected, but the racing community as a whole tends to be slower to condemn and quicker to offer mitigation in cases were racing makes headlines for the wrong reason.

In this instance, that has not been the case. The offending picture was too visceral not to draw an immediate reaction, and many of those choosing to express their disgust have been fellow racing professionals.

It has only been after several days of condemnation that dissenting voices have begun to be heard. No-one seeks to defend Gordon Elliott’s actions, but many want to see an end to a cycle of condemnatory interviews, articles and vox pops which are merely grist to the mill.

Gordon Elliott knows that whatever punishment the IHRB hand out will be nothing to the damage he has already witnessed to his livelihood, his reputation, his character and his relationships with those he works for and with.

Clemency

This is not a plea for clemency, or a suggestion that we should feel pity for him, but simply a statement of fact. One single act of senselessness has already produced untold consequences, and will continue to do so.

The damage is self-inflicted, of course, and it has hurt the whole industry, but we should all have the humility to be thankful that our own moments of madness have not been magnified in such a destructive fashion.

Indefensible does not mean unforgivable, and in a society which still strongly supports the concept of redemption, the issue of punishment is merely the first step in dealing with a case which has shocked so many.

Irish Racing must make it very clear that this is a matter of grave importance in terms of the reputation of the sport in Ireland, and also how Irish horsemen are perceived in the wider world. That reputation, so long in the cultivation, cannot be allowed to be tarnished.

When his punishment is handed down, Gordon Elliott must then be able to earn his redemption and hopefully demonstrate his true character. It’s not an easy balance to find, but it’s hugely important that the balance is struck.

What happens next is not just a question for Gordon Elliott, nor for those on his staff who fear for their future employment, nor yet for the horses who may go to the four winds.

Powerful weapon

It’s an existential question for racing, and the swiftness of action from the BHA is a sign that they believe they are fighting a battle for the future of the sport in which this photograph has been turned into a powerful weapon for those who would see it scrapped.

That is a fear felt more strongly in Britain than in Ireland, which has not moved so far from its agricultural and farming roots, but the wind still blows.

British racing has been fighting a charm offensive against those who oppose the sport, and the key strut of that has been championing the welfare of the equine participants.

The Elliott affair has caused a lot of anger from within racing in Britain, but while that is justified in part, the desire of those who defend racing to present a chocolate-box image of the sport is also unhelpful.

Constant messaging that racing stables are “like five-star hotels” and that horses are treated “like kings and queens” is the norm, but while the well-being of horses in racing is of paramount importance, their role within racing yards must be dealt with honestly.

The life of a racehorse is more prosaic than romantic, and while the sport can be proud of the level of care provided in modern yards, it doesn’t need gushing comparisons between such facilities and luxury hotels or palaces. Such language is merely pandering to people who don’t believe the argument anyway.

Horses should be treated like horses, and the respect given to them should reflect the esteem in which they are held by their owners, their grooms, and those who feel affection for them for whatever reason.

Our treatment of those horses should reflect our respect for that spectrum of people, and in observing it, we confer a degree of honour upon ourselves.

That honour is easily tossed away, as the last week has shown, but with humility and hard work it can be found again.