Probe into Cup death looks at all factors as RV commits to safety

The death of The Cliffsofmoher overshadowed the Melbourne Cup, but Racing Victoria officials were breathing a sigh of relief that staff on duty on race day observed protocols and acted quickly to prevent the broken-down galloper from causing havoc with the rest of the field.

It's scant consolation and certainly won't alleviate the image problem the race might be developing after a number of fatalities in recent years, but the situation could have been worse.

The Sydney Cup last year descended into chaos when Almoonquith broke down and two other horses lost their riders, with stewards abandoning the contest mid-event, although some jockeys continued racing not having heard the call.

The Cliffsofmoher was an overseas raider, and gallopers from the northern hemisphere this year have had mixed fortunes.

While several have enjoyed great success on the track, others have not fared so well at the quarantine centre at Werribee.

Godolphin's main Cup hope, Hamada, had to be euthanised after a trackwork gallop while others, such as Duretto, Emotionless and Red Verdon, all missed their main targets because they sustained injuries while exercising at the centre.

The overseas challengers all speak highly of the facility and certainly the numbers arriving grow each year, suggesting there is no problem with it. And lots of horses sustain injuries and are put out of action because of training incidents no matter where they are stabled.

But it is likely the venue will be at least scrutinised as part of an RV probe into the Cup.

It might just have been coincidence that a handful more horses were compromised during their stay at Werribee this year than last year. But some have also speculated that the Europeans are used to galloping uphill and in straight lines during exercise, so the constant running round the tight Australian track at the Werribee racecourse puts extra strain on joints not used to working around turns quite as much.

It may just be down to individual horses: group 1 winners Jungle Cat, Best Solution, Benbatl and Cross Counter all did their preparation at Werribee with no effects on them.

Racing Victoria says it is committed to spending millions of dollars on equine welfare and on "building a racing culture in which the safety and welfare of the racehorse is paramount to all participants and owners".

And it points out Victoria’s raceday fatality rate is among the lowest in world racing, with a safety record of 99.95 per cent.

"Since 2005, Victoria has averaged just under 43,000 annual starters in flat races for an average of 22 fatalities per year – a fatal incident rate of 0.05 per cent. Racing Victoria is striving to reduce raceday fatalities towards zero," it says.

Article courtesy of Fairfax Digital and The Brisbane Times