An Irish non-professional rider has accused prominent British jockey Nico de Boinville of directing a racially offensive remark towards him during an incident at Cheltenham on Wednesday. The altercation took place during the turbulent beginning of the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, the first race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Tensions escalated as the riders vied for position within the 21-horse field, resulting in the starter calling two false starts before the race officially commenced. De Boinville ultimately secured second place on Act Of Innocence, trailing behind the victorious King Rasko Grey trained by Willie Mullins, while Queally finished fifth aboard the family-trained I’ll Sort That.
Following the race, a verbal dispute unfolded between the two riders, with Queally expressing his displeasure to ITV Racing, stating, “The start was chaotic. Being verbally attacked by English rider Nico de Boinville is unacceptable. As an amateur, riding in front of my family, it was a horrific experience.” In response, De Boinville retorted, “Perhaps he should reflect on his own actions.”
During a subsequent inquiry by the stewards, it was revealed that Queally, along with Jack Kennedy, Danny Gilligan, and Darragh O’Keeffe, had not approached the starting line properly, leading to the false starts. Kennedy and Queally received one-day suspensions for their misconduct, while Gilligan and O’Keefe faced two-day suspensions due to a repeat offense within a year.
Queally lodged a formal complaint about the incident at the start, alleging that De Boinville had used derogatory language towards him in front of the ITV camera. He later disclosed to Mirror Racing that the remark was racially motivated, and the matter had been reported to the BHA stewards for investigation. De Boinville declined to provide a comment when contacted for a response.
The stewards announced that they would adjourn the inquiry to gather additional evidence after hearing initial testimonies from Queally and De Boinville.
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