Irish jockey Declan Queally accused English counterpart Nico de Boinville of “abusing” him before the opening race of day two at the Cheltenham Festival.
Queally, riding I’ll Sort That, and De Boinville on Act Of Innocence could be seen exhanging words at the start line as the Novices’ Hurdle was held up.
The Irish rider appeared to topple off his horse before the race started and had to be checked over by a doctor. He was given the all clear to race, along with Ballyfad, who was kicked pre-race and assessed by a vet in a chaotic few minutes.
A number of false starts to the planned rolling start meant the horses were moved to a standing start at the tape – leaving jockeys jostling for position.
Queally, who finished fifth in the race, told ITV Racing before entering the weight room post-race: “Being abused by an English rider, Nico de Boinville, not very nice.
“I am an amateur, coming over here and riding in front of my kids. Horrific.”
When informed of Queally’s comments about a difficult start to the race, De Boinville responded: “Maybe he should look in the mirror.”
Horse racing legend Ruby Walsh criticised the starters of the race and labelled it a “joke”.
He told ITV: “It’s 2026. How has nobody devised a tape that rolls in front of the horses?
“The tape should have been in front of them when they went onto the track and it should be moved in front of the horses.
“We can send missiles after fighter planes in the gulf but nobody can design a rolling flyaway tape.
“That’s the joke.”
Former Gold Cup-winning jockey Walsh added the trust is broken between the jockeys and the starters after similar scenes in the third race of the afternoon, the Handicap Hurdle, which was won by Jingko Blue.
In that race, a number of horses were sandwiched between the field and a fence when the roar went up, resulting in them losing ground early on.
“Big time (the trust is broken),” said Walsh. “The BHA [British Horseracing Authority] need to give their starters the right mechanisms to be able to start races.
“A quarter of this field had no chance. That’s why [Jingko Blue jockey] James Bowen ended up where he did.
“Lucky Place, Puturhandstogether, Rambo T, Bunting, HMS Seahorse, had no chance when the tape went back. Jingko Blue got a flyer.
“With the wrong mechanism, you can complain to the starter all you want, but if BHA are serious, they will do something about the mechanisms.”
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