Melbourne Cup death theory rings true

The race that stops a nation has essentially marked the reopening of Victoria as 10,000 fans were welcomed into Flemington Racecourse and countless more watched from packed pubs.Catch all the action from the Melbourne Spring Carnival LIVE on Racing.com, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >But the international flavour that had dominated the past few years of the event was lacking as only two runners from overseas — US horse Spanish Mission and defending Irish champion Twilight Payment — entered the field this year.While Spanish Mission nabbed third place, it was a race dominated by locally trained horses as Verry Elleegant romped to victory.The Melbourne Cup always attracts plenty of money for the bookies, but in recent years it has been rocked by protests from animal welfare campaigners following the deaths of seven horses in the eight races between 2013-2020.All seven deaths had been international horses.Tralee Rose was taken to hospital as a precaution this year after she was galloped on during the race. She required stitches for a laceration on her hind leg but thankfully, has no serious injuries.All other horses presented healthy at the completion of this year’s race, which is a great sign for the industry.Two-year-old horse death theory rings trueOn the eve of the 2019 Melbourne Cup, trainer Richard Freedman spoke about the issue of horses being injured during Australia’s greatest horse race.Two years ago he told Channel 9’s Sports Sunday foreign horses were getting injured as a result of unfamiliar conditions and long overseas journeys.“They’ve been thick on the ground in Australia since about 2012,” Freedman said at the time.“Of the last six horses that have come to a catastrophic injury in a Melbourne Cup, all six of them were imported horses. The last Australian horse to die as a result of the Melbourne Cup was in 1979.“Bringing them (foreign horses) has increased the visibility of those injuries, because it has happened to them. It’s not a good thing and they are at the centre of that.”Dulcify was the last local horse to die in the Melbourne Cup when it broke its pelvis in the 1979 edition of the race.While it doesn’t take away the devastating loss of horse life during the race in recent years, the lack of international horses this time around has given an indication of how important acclimatisation is for international horses in the two-mile race.Extra safety precautions taken at this year’s raceIn response to recent fatalities, race organisers this year took extra precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all horses. The 35 fourth acceptors for the Melbourne Cup were required to undergo screening with a sophisticated CT scanner at Werribee, to pick up any pre-existing medical issues and make sure all the horses were healthy to run.However, the machine broke down last week and resulted in an urgent replacement part needing to be shipped over from the US. At the time of the malfunction, only 19 of the 35 fourth acceptors had been scanned.In the aftermath of the chaotic development, Racing Victoria implemented new measures as a workaround while playing the waiting game for the CT scanner to be fixed. Those horses that had not yet been scanned were required to undergo comprehensive X-rays of their distal limbs, which were then to be examined by three imaging specialists.Additionally, all horses had to undergo an extra veterinary assessment on Monday to check they were still healthy enough to run, while two horses — Delphi and Future Score — were looked at by vets again on Tuesday morning.Future Score presented with lameness in his right foreleg and so was scratched, with vets not willing to take the risk of letting him run.Minister hits back at ‘fundamentally untrue’ claimVictorian Racing Minister Martin Pakula spoke on Radio National’s Drive and took aim at those protesting the Melbourne Cup and the safety of the horses.He also defended the economic benefit of the great race and the 161 years of tradition before slamming those campaigning against the marquee sporting event.“There are people who pretend to be concerned about horse welfare, but frankly, I think a lot of those people would be disappointed there wasn’t an incident today, because their primary concern is to campaign against the Melbourne Cup,” he said.“The fact is, the racing authorities have gone to extraordinary lengths this year through the pre-race scans, both overseas and here and the fact that a number of horses have been withdrawn from the race because there was any veterinary concern about their welfare. “And the idea that some people like to propagate that racing people — trainers, owners, strappers, jockeys, handlers — do not care about horse welfare is offensive to many people in the industry and is offensive because it is fundamentally untrue. “And those people who do not like horseracing and the Melbourne Cup are under no obligation to and I’m sure there are lots of things those people like that other people have no interest in but they don’t campaign to have them banned.”Past Melbourne Cup tragediesThe death of Irish stayer Anthony Van Dyck in 2020 emboldened anti-racing advocates and animal welfare groups.In 2019, Ireland’s Rostropovich pulled up lame on the home straight and limped to the line in last place after suffering a stress fracture but made a full recovery.In 2018 The Cliffsofmoher had to be euthanised after suffering a fractured shoulder during the Melbourne Cup, sparking a similar outcry.The five-year-old’s death three years ago followed these previous deaths in Melbourne Cup day races:— In 2013, French horse Verema was euthanised after snapping a bone in her leg.— In 2014, Japan’s Admire Rakti collapsed and died in his stall after a race and Araldo broke a leg and was euthanised.— In 2015, Britain’s Red Cadeaux broke his left foreleg, was rushed to the vet for surgery and was euthanised some days later.— In 2016, British horse Regal Monarch died after a dramatic mid-race fall.

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November 03, 2021 at 12:19AM
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The race that stops a nation has essentially marked the reopening of Victoria as 10,000 fans were welcomed into Flemington Racecourse and countless more watched from packed pubs.Catch all the action from the Melbourne Spring Carnival LIVE on Racing.com, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >But the international flavour that had dominated the past few years of the event was lacking as only two runners from overseas — US horse Spanish Mission and defending Irish champion Twilight Payment — entered the field this year.While Spanish Mission nabbed third place, it was a race dominated by locally trained horses as Verry Elleegant romped to victory.The Melbourne Cup always attracts plenty of money for the bookies, but in recent years it has been rocked by protests from animal welfare campaigners following the deaths of seven horses in the eight races between 2013-2020.All seven deaths had been international horses.Tralee Rose was taken to hospital as a precaution this year after she was galloped on during the race. She required stitches for a laceration on her hind leg but thankfully, has no serious injuries.All other horses presented healthy at the completion of this year’s race, which is a great sign for the industry.Two-year-old horse death theory rings trueOn the eve of the 2019 Melbourne Cup, trainer Richard Freedman spoke about the issue of horses being injured during Australia’s greatest horse race.Two years ago he told Channel 9’s Sports Sunday foreign horses were getting injured as a result of unfamiliar conditions and long overseas journeys.“They’ve been thick on the ground in Australia since about 2012,” Freedman said at the time.“Of the last six horses that have come to a catastrophic injury in a Melbourne Cup, all six of them were imported horses. The last Australian horse to die as a result of the Melbourne Cup was in 1979.“Bringing them (foreign horses) has increased the visibility of those injuries, because it has happened to them. It’s not a good thing and they are at the centre of that.”Dulcify was the last local horse to die in the Melbourne Cup when it broke its pelvis in the 1979 edition of the race.While it doesn’t take away the devastating loss of horse life during the race in recent years, the lack of international horses this time around has given an indication of how important acclimatisation is for international horses in the two-mile race.Extra safety precautions taken at this year’s raceIn response to recent fatalities, race organisers this year took extra precautions to ensure the wellbeing of all horses. The 35 fourth acceptors for the Melbourne Cup were required to undergo screening with a sophisticated CT scanner at Werribee, to pick up any pre-existing medical issues and make sure all the horses were healthy to run.However, the machine broke down last week and resulted in an urgent replacement part needing to be shipped over from the US. At the time of the malfunction, only 19 of the 35 fourth acceptors had been scanned.In the aftermath of the chaotic development, Racing Victoria implemented new measures as a workaround while playing the waiting game for the CT scanner to be fixed. Those horses that had not yet been scanned were required to undergo comprehensive X-rays of their distal limbs, which were then to be examined by three imaging specialists.Additionally, all horses had to undergo an extra veterinary assessment on Monday to check they were still healthy enough to run, while two horses — Delphi and Future Score — were looked at by vets again on Tuesday morning.Future Score presented with lameness in his right foreleg and so was scratched, with vets not willing to take the risk of letting him run.Minister hits back at ‘fundamentally untrue’ claimVictorian Racing Minister Martin Pakula spoke on Radio National’s Drive and took aim at those protesting the Melbourne Cup and the safety of the horses.He also defended the economic benefit of the great race and the 161 years of tradition before slamming those campaigning against the marquee sporting event.“There are people who pretend to be concerned about horse welfare, but frankly, I think a lot of those people would be disappointed there wasn’t an incident today, because their primary concern is to campaign against the Melbourne Cup,” he said.“The fact is, the racing authorities have gone to extraordinary lengths this year through the pre-race scans, both overseas and here and the fact that a number of horses have been withdrawn from the race because there was any veterinary concern about their welfare. “And the idea that some people like to propagate that racing people — trainers, owners, strappers, jockeys, handlers — do not care about horse welfare is offensive to many people in the industry and is offensive because it is fundamentally untrue. “And those people who do not like horseracing and the Melbourne Cup are under no obligation to and I’m sure there are lots of things those people like that other people have no interest in but they don’t campaign to have them banned.”Past Melbourne Cup tragediesThe death of Irish stayer Anthony Van Dyck in 2020 emboldened anti-racing advocates and animal welfare groups.In 2019, Ireland’s Rostropovich pulled up lame on the home straight and limped to the line in last place after suffering a stress fracture but made a full recovery.In 2018 The Cliffsofmoher had to be euthanised after suffering a fractured shoulder during the Melbourne Cup, sparking a similar outcry.The five-year-old’s death three years ago followed these previous deaths in Melbourne Cup day races:— In 2013, French horse Verema was euthanised after snapping a bone in her leg.— In 2014, Japan’s Admire Rakti collapsed and died in his stall after a race and Araldo broke a leg and was euthanised.— In 2015, Britain’s Red Cadeaux broke his left foreleg, was rushed to the vet for surgery and was euthanised some days later.— In 2016, British horse Regal Monarch died after a dramatic mid-race fall.