Melbourne Cup 2020 will hopefully be free of one thing: tragedy.
Horses have had a tough time in The Race That Stops a Nation' in recent years, particularly the international runners.
Six horses died across as many Cups from 2013-2018, all foreign gallopers. Five died in the Melbourne Cup itself and one in a lead-up race on Cup Day.
Rostropovich, an Irish gelding, broke down in last year's Cup and was at risk of being euthanised due to a fractured pelvis. Rostropovich was ultimately saved but hasn't run since.
The last Australian horse to die in the Melbourne Cup was New Zealand-bred Dulcify, owned by Adelaide-based trainer Colin Hayes. Dulcify had to be euthanised after breaking his pelvis in the 1979 race.
The Melbourne Cup has become increasingly controversial due to the recent spate of horse deaths and racing will desperately hope that there are no further casualties in the 2020 edition of the race. Another horse death on the one day that non-racing people watch the sport would bring enormous scrutiny on to the industry.
RECENT MELBOURNE CUP DEATHS
2013: Verema (France)
2014: Admire Rakti (Japan), Araldo (Great Britain)
2015: Red Cadeaux (Great Britain)
2017: Regal Monarch (Great Britain) - died in Race 4 on Cup Day
2018: The Cliffsofmoher (Ireland)
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/horse-racing/melbourne-cup-2020-horse-deaths-how-many-horses-have-died-in-race/bab05d7d-950f-4af4-8448-b43b6c4266bf
0 Comments