'Most people would have walked away but I don't like to be stung and I don't like to be beaten' - Kia Joorabchian in quotes
Kia Joorabchian and Amo Racing dominated the news on Monday morning after it emerged Kevin Stott will no longer be the retained rider for the operation. Here we look back at some key quotes from the high-profile football agent since his involvement in horseracing began, having first ventured into ownership in 2003.
I just felt Ralph and I weren't seeing eye to eye, so I felt it might be better if we did a change. I think he's a very good trainer. A lot of the old-style trainers have different ways of training and maybe we're a younger, newer type of company that has a slightly different method and sometimes it doesn't work with everybody. It's okay, there's nothing wrong with that. He did a great job with everything he's had from us, but sometimes you don't see eye to eye and that's that. I wish him the best.
The man behind Amo Racing on moving his horses out of Ralph Beckett's yard in August 2021
Both our horses got wiped out. Crispy Cat got completely wiped out. If that's not a mistake we may as well give up. If you lose fair and square that's fine but for an experienced jockey to wipe out four horses in the field, I don't even know what to say to that. [Without the interference] Crispy Cat wins and wins by a margin. I doubt they will change the result but that's not the point. The result is not the issue, the issue is an experienced jockey wiped out four horses.
Joorabchian was not impressed when his third Crispy Cat suffered interference by wayward winner The Ridler in last year's Norfolk Stakes. He also owned runner-up and favourite Walbank
I would like to thank Rossa and I'm happy and proud at everything we achieved together. We found Rossa as a young apprentice who looked hungry for success. He came on board the Amo team with little experience and has since developed into a wonderful jockey with a massively bright future who I have no doubt will be among the best in the world in the near future. He has become part of our family in the last two years and he is very dear to our hearts. It is for this reason we respect the fact he now wants to explore wider pastures so he goes with our full blessing and we hope he will ride for us again in the future.
Joorabchian provides the reasons behind Amo Racing's split with Rossa Ryan last September
I like to be involved in the business. New owners want to know how things are going, what's happening to their horse and in the races – you have to understand that's half the fun of it. You pay your training fees, you pay these big numbers to purchase a horse and why would you not have the fun side of being involved in where the horse is going and what's happening to it? Maybe it's me and I don't understand the etiquette behind owning a horse but with the number of horses I own, it doesn't make sense.
Joorabchian on his involvement as an owner in an interview with the Racing Post
British racing is a part of my culture and my heart. I will always keep horses in England but it doesn't mean I'm not going to start joining with the other owners to fight the system and try to raise the prize-money because I think the most incredible thing about any sport is competition. If you can't create enough competition, it's boring and people don't want to watch it. We need more competition and we need to support the younger guys who are coming through. We need to put more investment into racing. You must have a better system of getting the prize-money up, otherwise it will die.
In the same interview, Joorabchian gave his thoughts on the sport in Britain
Most people would have walked away but I don't like to be stung and I don't like to be beaten and I don't like it when that happens to others either. I think that's one of the big problems in racing, that individuals and people like me are afraid to get in because they think everything is controlled and everything is dominated. A lot of bad things occur and I've seen it. But the idea of having a horse was always exciting.
He also spoke about his first involvement in ownership in 2003 that didn't go too well
To breed your first horse and have it win was incredible, especially as it was first time out. It was wonderful. I think I've been bitten by the bug, but I was bitten by it a long time ago.
Komat was a first homebred winner for Joorabchian at Newbury in April and he reacted to the milestone success in the Racing Grapevine
This means the world to us. The guys have worked so, so hard for this. They wake up at 4am every day and they work all day long – for them this is so deserved. I just don't have the words right now, and that's rare for me!
The Amo supremo reacts to 150-1 shot Valiant Force becoming their first Royal Ascot winner in the Norfolk Stakes under Rossa Ryan this year
Read this next . . .
Kevin Stott reveals end of Amo relationship after sacking by Kia Joorabchian
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