Il Etait Temps keeps his head for Cheltenham glory as jockeys’ start row spills over

2026-03-11 - 17:53

Champion Chase first benefits from Majborough howlers Irish rider Queally accuses De Boinville of ‘horrific’ abuse Il Etait Temps survived a slip after jumping the last to land an incident-packed renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday, on an afternoon when the drama was not confined to the closing stages and Nico de Boinville, one of the sport’s top jockeys, was accused of “horrific” abuse before the start of the opening race by an Irish amateur having his first ride at the meeting. De Boinville, who was riding the well-fancied Act Of Innocence, and Declan Queally, who is both the trainer and rider of the Grade One-winning I’ll Sort That, could be seen exchanging words as a tightly packed field of 21 runners jostled for position before the start of the Turners Novice Hurdle. Continue reading...