A horse has been put down after an injury sustained during today’s Melbourne Cup.
The Cliffsofmoher was forced to pull out of the race early on after pulling up lame, suffering a fractured shoulder as a result. The five-year-old horse “could not be saved”, tweeted Racing.com editor-in-chief Shane Anderson earlier this afternoon. The horse had looked agitated prior to the race, and broke down after crossing the post for the first time, around 1000m after starting. The Cliffsofmoher received immediate veterinary care but vets were forced to euthanise the horse.
“It is with sadness that we confirm that The Cliffsofmoher had to be humanely euthanised after sustaining a fractured right shoulder during the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington,” read a statement from Racing Victoria.
“This was an unfortunate incident that happens infrequently, with Victoria having one of the best safety records in world racing.”
While described as “infrequent”, it should be acknowledged that it’s unsurprising the Melbourne Cup – a beacon of animal cruelty and selfish excess – could result in such a tragedy. Since the Melbourne cup began in 1861 there have been many incidences of horses being euthanised following injury. The Cliffsofmoher is the sixth horse to die as a result of the Melbourne Cup since 2013.
In the past years, the horses Verema, Admire Rakti, Araldo, Red Cadeaux, and Regal Monarch have all died during or after the race. According to PETA, 119 horses died on Australian racetracks between August 2017 and July 2018. Animal rights activists have long called for boycotts to the Cup.
