An Irish amateur rider has accused prominent British jockey Nico de Boinville of directing a racially abusive comment towards him during a contentious moment at Cheltenham on Wednesday. Declan Queally and de Boinville, who serves as the stable jockey to Nicky Henderson, engaged in a heated argument amidst a tumultuous start to the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, the inaugural 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 declaring two false starts before the race officially commenced. De Boinville ultimately clinched second place 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 sparring persisted as Queally expressed to ITV Racing: “The start was chaotic. Enduring abuse from English rider Nico de Boinville is unsettling. As an amateur, riding in front of my children, it was a distressing experience.” De Boinville retorted, “Maybe 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 failed to approach the starting line properly, resulting in a false start. Kennedy and Queally faced one-day suspensions for misconduct at the start, while Gilligan and O’Keeffe received two-day suspensions for their second offense within 12 months.
The stewards’ report also mentioned Queally filing a complaint “regarding an incident at the start,” with Queally later disclosing to Mirror Racing that de Boinville had allegedly used racial slurs towards him. Queally reported the incident to the BHA stewards for investigation, while de Boinville declined to comment when contacted for a response.
The stewards’ notice stated, “Having reviewed initial statements from Queally and Nico de Boinville, the stewards have adjourned the matter pending further evidence.”