The trainer of the horse who was banned from racing for 40 days has said he doesn’t want to train the hurdler anymore as a result of the torrent of “horrible” abuse he has received, including a death threat.
Chris Honour said he was so worried for his family that he had considered giving up his training business in the wake of the controversial ride given to Hillsin at Worcester on Wednesday night.
The incident and its aftermath has upset him so much that he has asked the owner Alan Clegg to find a new trainer for Hillsin, and another horse in his yard, so he can put the case behind him.
Hillsin, a five-year-old without a win and just two third places from 16 previous starts, was having his first race for Honour, who trains in Ashburton, Devon, when he finished third in a conditional jockeys race, ridden by Dylan Kitts.
However the race was referred to the BHA for further investigation, and the horse suspended from running for 40 days, because Kitts did not appear to ask Hillsin for maximum effort in the closing stages.
“It was the worst day of my life,” said Honour. “It looked bloody awful, there is no getting away from it.
“I sent the horse there to run his best race. In my mind he ran well but he didn’t get the ride he deserved. He [Kitts] did everything right to the last hurdle.
“He is a 16 race maiden who ran equal to what he’d shown before but the ride he got wasn't good enough.”
Hillsin was hanging in the closing stages and 22-year-old Kitts told stewards the horse had made “a respiratory noise”.
“He was hanging and I had told him to keep a hold of his head, but there is keeping hold of his head and then there is not asking for an effort,” said Honour who is still very upset by what happened.
“It’s a horrible situation. We have had horrible phone calls, emails, messages and that’s not something I ever got into this job for.
“I worry for my family and I never thought I would have that situation to deal with. We do our best all the time.”
Honour insisted he had done nothing wrong. “I trained him by the rules and did everything I could for the horse to reach his best possible finishing position, and that hasn’t happened,” he continued.
“You have to make an effort. I don’t want to drag the lad. He is a young kid. But if he has had the ordeal me and family have, I feel deeply sorry for him.
“He’s made a mess of it. It’s a horrible situation to be dealing with, but we are where we are.
“I have asked for the horse to leave the yard. I am certain he will go on and win races but I want to move on from the whole situation.
“I don’t want anymore of the phone calls, the messages. If I went and ran him again it would all be brought back up again. I want to push it away and go forward from here.
“I’d nearly walk away from racing, it’s been that horrible, and this is something I’ve done since I was 16.
“I love this job and I love my horses. They are like our family. I am proud of what we’ve achieved with the horses we have.
“Yesterday I was happy with how the horse ran. I was disappointed with the result.”
