Hamish Macauley is a well-known name in the bloodstock business with a video of him swallowing a living fish viral
When he ate a live goldfish on the dance floor at the prestigious Punchestown Festival, he made a lot of people angry.
On video from the event, you can see Macauley take the fish out of a plastic container and swallow it whole, which made people scream in fear.
Bloodstock industry rocked by Hamish Macauley’s controversial stunt at prestigious festival
Since then, Macauley, who is a rising star in the multi-million-pound bloodstock world, has apologised for what he did and said it wasn’t like him and won’t happen again. He said, “I am obviously hugely disappointed with myself for my actions in this video. I cannot apologize more profusely for my behavior. I am genuinely very sorry; this was totally out of character and will never happen again.”
Hamish Macauley swallows live fish on dancefloor during Punchestown Festival, video goes viral
Hamish Macauley, a rising star of the bloodstock industry, was filmed swallowing a live goldfish on the dancefloor at Punchestown Festival.https://t.co/M1KZZgq4Rl
— Sam Morgan (@sam__morgan) April 30, 2023
Even though Macauley apologised, people at the race were shocked and disgusted by what he did. In one film, you can hear a girl yelling “don’t eat it” right before Macauley swallows the goldfish. Another person watches in shock as the fish, a type of carp that is often kept as a pet, swims away.
Hamish Macauley’s reputation in racing industry questioned after stunt
In the racing world, where Macauley is a well-known figure, the event has stirred up a lot of debate. Macauley has found some of the best horses to run on the flat and over jumps. Group 1 winner Lezoo, who Frankie Dettori rode to a Group 3 win at Ascot last July, was one of these horses.
He also got the recent winner of the Cheltenham Festival, Stay Away Fay, for just £39,000 and then sold him for a huge £305,000. Two other big names that Macauley found are Group Two winner Crypto Force, which is now owned by football superagent Kia Joorabchian, and Grade 2 hurdle winner Scriptwriter.
Industry leaders speak out on Hamish Macauley’s controversial behavior
Macauley’s actions have also brought attention to the bloodstock business, which supports over 19,000 jobs and is worth about £500 million to the UK economy. Even with all the trouble, some people in the business have said nice things about Macauley. Three-time Grand National winner trainer Gordon Elliott called him “a good lad.” One owner in the UK who spends a lot of money has said that the bloodstock star is “professional and personable.”
In 2017, Macauley started his own bloodstock company. Since then, he has shown that he can sell cheap horses for a lot of money. Many people were shocked and upset by what he did at the Punchestown Festival, but it’s still not clear how it will affect his image in the long run.
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