Jockeys Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally brought their public dispute to a close on Thursday afternoon at Cheltenham Festival, appearing together on ITV’s live coverage to shake hands outside the weighing room.
The reconciliation came just one day after Irish amateur rider Queally accused de Boinville of making comments “of a racial nature” during Wednesday’s Turners Novices’ Hurdle.
Presenter Matt Chapman approached the pair, who then engaged in a prolonged handshake for the cameras in what some observers described as a somewhat awkward exchange.
The confrontation had become a dominant talking point at this year’s Festival.
Jockeys Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally have buried the hatchet after a racism row broke out
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ITV
Queally declared the matter settled in straightforward terms. “All sorted, just a heat of the moment battle, all is forgiven and best of luck to Nico in the future,” he told ITV.
De Boinville responded in kind, expressing gratitude for the resolution. “Very much so, I appreciate Declan, wish him all the best and big thanks to Davy Russell for sorting this out,” he said.
The former Gold Cup-winning jockey Russell had evidently played a crucial role as intermediary between the two riders.
Following their statements, the pair concluded with a second handshake before departing to prepare for subsequent races.
“All is forgiven” 🤝
Declan Queally & Nico de Boinville patch things up after yesterday’s disagreement 💪 pic.twitter.com/5UJB7YF3u7
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 12, 2026
The dispute originated during a chaotic start to Wednesday’s opening race, which saw two false starts before the 21-horse field was finally released.
Queally had told the Racing Post that he received “repeated racial abuse” from de Boinville as they jostled for position near the starting tapes.
“It was competitive down there and I got repeated racial abuse from Nico de Boinville when I was coming in around the corner and then he called me a ‘f***ing p***k’ a couple of times in front of the ITV cameras,” Queally alleged.
De Boinville firmly rejected these claims in a BBC Radio 5 Live interview on Thursday morning. “I deny all the allegations against me. I can categorically say there weren’t any racial slurs or anything like that,” he stated.
The British Horseracing Authority confirmed its inquiry would proceed despite the public reconciliation between the two jockeys.
Irish amateur jockey Declan Queally had accused English rider Nico de Boinville of verbally attacking him
| ITV
Stewards had adjourned their initial hearing after taking evidence from both riders, with the investigation set to continue through the remainder of the Festival.
“The process of gathering evidence will continue over the coming days and will involve speaking to jockeys and reviewing broadcast footage,” the BHA stated.
The governing body indicated the matter would not be concluded until after Cheltenham concludes.
Former Champion Jockey AP McCoy offered his assessment of the televised reconciliation. “It was the right thing to do and fair play to them,” he remarked.
