It has been confirmed that Denise ‘Sneezy’ Foster will step in for Gordon Elliott during the Irish trainer’s ban.
Elliott was banned for a year, six months of which are suspended, after being pictured sitting astride a dead horse.
Denise Foster steps in
The new arrangement means horses based at the Cullentra stables in County Meath which Elliott owns are set to run under Foster’s name at this month’s Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree meeting in April.
The BBC reports that an initial statement from Elliott’s Twitter account on Saturday that said he would be available to “assist” Foster was later deleted.
“Denise is vastly experienced and her appointment is great news for staff and owners,” said a second version.
Foster is a former riding instructor who has held a training licence for more than 20 years and worked with top showjumpers earlier in her life. She is known as Sneezy because that is how friends pronounced her name as a child.
Elliott told a disciplinary hearing on Friday that he would not attend a race meeting for six months and that he has “a long road ahead” but will “serve my time and then build back better”.
