An Irish amateur rider has accused top British jockey Nico de Boinville of directing a racially abusive comment towards him at Cheltenham on Wednesday. Declan Queally and de Boinville, who is the stable jockey to Nicky Henderson, engaged in a heated confrontation during the turbulent start of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, the first race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Tensions escalated as the riders vied for position among the 21-horse field, leading to the starter calling two false starts before the race officially began. De Boinville eventually finished second on Act Of Innocence, trailing behind the Willie Mullins-trained victor King Rasko Grey, while Queally secured fifth place on the family-trained I’ll Sort That.
Following the race, the verbal exchange continued with Queally expressing his displeasure to ITV Racing, stating, “The start was chaotic. Being subjected to abuse by English rider Nico de Boinville is unacceptable. I’m an amateur, here with my family. It was dreadful.” De Boinville retorted, “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 had not approached the starting tape appropriately, leading to a false start. Kennedy and Queally received one-day suspensions for misconduct at the start, while Gilligan and O’Keefe faced two-day suspensions due to a repeated offense within 12 months.
Queally lodged a complaint about an incident at the start, alleging that de Boinville had used offensive language towards him in front of the ITV camera. Queally later disclosed to Mirror Racing that the comment was of a racial nature and had been reported to the BHA stewards, who are addressing the matter. De Boinville declined to provide a response when contacted.
The stewards’ notice stated, “Having heard initial evidence from Queally and Nico de Boinville, the stewards have adjourned the matter to gather further information.”