Top horse trainer Gordon Elliott has apologised for a controversial photo which appears to show him posing on top of a dead horse on his gallops.

The image, which appeared on social media on Saturday evening, has been described as “shocking” and sees one of racing’s most high-profile figures speaking on a phone while seeming to hold up two fingers in an apparent peace gesture.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) immediately launched an investigation which Elliott said in a tweet he was co-operating fully with.

The BHA issued a statement expressing their concern at the “shocking picture” and urged speed with the investigation. “We hope the Irish authorities will quickly confirm how this shocking picture originated,” said a spokesperson.