Decision made on racist allegations from British jockey towards Irishman at Cheltenham

A decision has been made.

After a false start during the Turners Novices' Hurdle on the second day of the festival, De Boinville was seen berating Queally for taking his space on the inside ahead of the second start.

Following the race - De Boinville finished second and Queally finished fifth - amateur Queally described the actions of Nicky Henderson's top jockey as 'horrific'.

De Boinville was subsequently investigated for racist abuse towards the Irishman, although they were pictured making up, with Queally saying: "All sorted. All is forgiven. Best of luck to Nico in the future."

A decision has now been made by the stewards, and De Boinville has been found not guilty.

Their statement reads: "Having reviewed and considered all the evidence it was clear that the riders were frustrated with the delay in starting the race on the second attempt, as a number of riders were reluctant to take a turn and get behind the marker poles.

"It is understood, and accepted, that strong language was used by De Boinville at the start and directed towards Mr Queally. It was also stated that a number of riders were also verbally expressing their frustration at the start away from the incident being enquired into.

"There was no audio evidence or verbal evidence given from any party during the course of the enquiry to corroborate that any language used was of a racist nature.

"Whilst the stewards understand that in a highly competitive environment emotions do sometimes run high, there is an expectation and an obligation on participants in terms of their behaviour under the Rules of Racing and the Code of Conduct.

"Having regard to all the above, the stewards, whilst acknowledging a verbal altercation between De Boinville and Mr Queally took place, found that there is no evidence to support the allegation made by Mr Queally of racist comments, therefore the complaint is not upheld.

"The stewards have however reminded De Boinville of his obligations and the expectations to ensure he behaves in a professional manner, and this includes when pressure is heightened at the start of high-profile fixtures."