AMO boss Kia Joorabchian says ‘no one wants to hear the truth in racing’ – after one of his interviews was mysteriously deleted online.
The owner, who has made a massive investment in the sport, saw his chat on Racing TV last Sunday scrubbed off social media and made unavailable on demand.
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He was speaking at Ireland’s Curragh racecourse in response to an interview trainer Ralph Beckett gave earlier this year.
In that chat, Beckett commented on what he believed to be Joorabchian’s ‘unusual’ decision to remove some unraced horses from his yard.
Joorabchian gave more context to his decision in a pre-race interview with presenter Kevin O’Ryan.
He explained that one of the reasons he decided to remove Amo horses was because £500,000 purchase Rock Iguana had been accidentally gelded.
Joorabchian had also seen his £1million Justify colt and Royal Lodge third Angelo Buonarroti die from an infected cut while in the trainer’s care – plus another owner had decided to switch their horses as well.
But it was his revelation about the accidental gelding that lit up social media.
The clip was originally posted on Racing TV’s official account with the ‘eyes’ emoji before being given the snip.
Senior figures have privately expressed their disbelief that the interview was removed, likening it, in their opinion, to a form of ‘censorship’.
Sun Racing has contacted Racecourse Media Group, who own Racing TV, for comment.
Football superagent Joorabchian said the clip should have remained online.
He confirmed Beckett – who sadly lost promising colt Stanhope Gardens in a ‘freak gallops accident’ this week – had admitted and apologised for the mistake.
Joorabchian said: “I was surprised the video was taken down. I told the truth and no one should be worried about that.
“He did geld a horse by accident. That is negligence.
“It’s an insane situation. The sport is not allowing the truth to come out.
“Why would Racing TV take the video down?
“I would understand if something rude or libellous was said but telling the truth behind why something happened should not be something we shy away from.
“I want to be in this sport for years, and I want the sport to grow. But to do that we need the truth to come out.
“There is a group of old-school type people in this industry who give you a moral speech about one thing then do completely the opposite.”
Joorabchian has had run-ins with racing media in the past.
And he has not been shy to call out publications and articles he believes don’t tell the whole story.
He says a recent instance of this was regarding the stable switch of Group 1-winning filly You Got To Me.
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Joorabchian claimed: “If the facts of this story were reversed you can be sure it would make the cover of the Racing Post.
“When You Got To Me was moved the paper did a big article about it but never called me for the background.
“When I tried to reach out to them and tell them the truth the editor ignored me and has yet to respond to the messages I sent him to clarify the truth.
“That shows, in my opinion, a bias.
“It shows there has been little to no interest in writing the entire truth, only parts of it.”
In a TV interview earlier this year Joorabchian claimed ’90 per cent of the truth in racing gets swept under the carpet’.
A browse of the comments on a video of the 40-minute chat reveals punters are turning in favour of Joorabchian, calling him a ‘breath of fresh air’.
He told Sun Racing: “It’s part of a problem with the game, no one wants to hear the truth.
“In my opinion, racing media help keep it that way.
“I will endeavour to make sure the truth comes out, is not hidden and has an outlet in the national media.”
Joorabchian accepts that Amo and, by extension, he, will come under more scrutiny owing to his football background and profile, plus their spending at the sales.
And while he may be winning over some punters, he says he does feel personally there is still a lot of work to be done within the sport.
Joorabchian added: “The issue has become clear. I am a new kid on the block, as they say.
“But I am not one that shies away from telling the truth.
“I’m going to speak about the gaps in the industry and if I’m not liked that’s OK – they’re always looking to hate someone!
“There are a lot of other issues in racing, such as the lack of women in positions of power, and prize money, to name but a few, that warrant more coverage.”
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