A horse has died in the immediate aftermath of the Melbourne Cup race, with Irish horse The Cliffsofmoher being euthanised after suffering a shoulder fracture early in the race.
Horrible news. The Cliffsofmoher suffered a fractured right shoulder when injured in the Melbourne Cup, unfortunately could not be saved. Thoughts with connections. @Racing
— Shane Anderson (@Globalgallop) November 6, 2018
The Cliffsofmoher was seen to stumble and fall at about the 1000 metre mark, after many on social media commented the horse looked stressed and agitated before the beginning of the race.
A tarp was quickly put up at the conclusion of the race while vets worked on the horse, with Joseph O’Brien, son of The Cliffsofmoher’s trainer Aiden, confirming that the situation “didn’t look good”.
Whether you’re a Melbourne Cup fan or not, the death of a horse is something no one wants to see.
This is obviously exactly the sort of situation that animal activists warn of every single year before the Cup, and – like in previous years – an animal has ended up dead. We’re going to hear a lot from people associated with the Cup describing this as a “tragedy” for those associated with the horse, but it seems unlikely there’ll be any effort to address the problem in a broader sense. For those who love the Cup, the injury and death of horses has become an acceptable price of entry.
We’ll keep you updated.
