Racehorse Anthony Van Dyck has been euthanised after breaking down on the racecourse during the 2020 Melbourne Cup.
The horse, one of the favourites ahead of the day, suddenly collapsed early on in the race with a fractured fetlock near its hoof.
At the time, the race caller announced: “that did look quite ugly”. Anthony Van Dyck was lifted into an ambulance shortly after.
“The horse received immediate veterinary care, however he was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained,” Racing Victoria’s head of integrity Jamie Stier said.
Tragic news that has Anthony Van Dyck been humanely euthanised after breaking down in the Melbourne Cup. More @racing
— Paul Tatnell (@PaulTatnell) November 3, 2020
Just a day before the race, its jockey Hugh Bowman (who was not injured in the incident) dismissed claims that the horse was being made to carry too much weight.
However many are slamming an industry which flogs horses into training for a three-minute race which, in this case, is fatal.
“This is the race that kills with disgusting regularity,” said Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick.
“No amount of industry spin, glitz and glamour or celebrities willing to sell their souls can hide the truth.”
Wouldn’t be a Melbourne Cup without a horse ‘breaking down’ — as the industry calls it.
Hoping Anthony Van Dyck will be okay, but that looked really ugly. #HorseRacingKills #NuptotheCup
— Andy Meddick (@AndyMeddickMP) November 3, 2020
ABC journalist Selby Stewart tweeted that you could see Anthony Van Dyck “pull up lame on the home straight”.
Footage of the horse posted to social media by the bookies is now gradually being taken down.
Anthony Van Dyck is now the seventh horse to have died at the Melbourne Cup since 2013 – seven horses in seven years.
Last year was the only one out off the last seven where a horse didn’t die. At that year’s event, Rostropovich suffered a stress fracture to his pelvis but thankfully recovered.
More to come.
