One, the freak accident that led to top stayer Araldo being put down. 

The Mike Moroney trained stayer was returning to the mounting yard through the laneway when he took fright at a flag-waving spectator and kicked the fence, the horse’s leg got caught in the incident and he suffered an ultimately fatal broken hind leg. 

There have been 154 Melbourne Cups and this is the first time    something like that has happened to a horse coming back in.

Admire Rakti was the $5.50 Cup favourite and, after settling in second position early, he dropped out from the 800m and finished a long last. 

On returning the horse then collapsed and died from acute heart failure in the race day stall. Chief veterinarian Dr Brian Stewart said the preliminary autopsy results showed that Admire Rakti died from heart failure, a consequence of elite athletes and the high heart rate they achieve during strenuous exercise, the hearts abnormal rhythm means it doesn’t deliver enough blood to maintain life. 

It can happen to the fittest of us, and who’s to say if Admire Rakti had have survived his Australian visit and returned to Japan it could not have happened there?

Racing authorities have the safety and health of horses and their riders as an absolute priority at all times, but racing is a pressure sport and accidents are sure to happen. 

Since the death of the two horses on Melbourne Cup day, the ‘debate’ about thoroughbred racing has turned into a name-calling festival of pantomimes, with animal welfare groups and individuals demanding the entire billion-dollar industry be abolished.

But racing isn’t going anywhere. 

Horse industries are one of the largest employers in Australia and one of the largest government revenue contributors in this country. 

These groups, by demanding an end to racing, are just dealing themselves out of the debate.  

Cup to stop all cups

I wonder how our modern day protestors would have felt had they viewed the running of the 1958 Melbourne Cup and the newspaper headlines the next day which ran something along these lines: Three break down; 9-4 Yeman has leg gashed; Prince Darius hits fence.

Sydney stayer Baystone, several times luckily, escaped severe interference to win one of the roughest run Melbourne Cups for years. 

Three horses broke down in the race, Pandie Sun, Neves and Dream Sun. 

The favourite Yeman came back to the enclosure covered in blood, his off-hind leg gashed, and a bandage on his near-front leg which was cut almost in two. 

Top weight Prince Darius crashed into the fence when badly interfered with soon after the start and almost dislodged his jockey, George Moore. 

Prince Darius was badly cut on his legs and from his shoulder to the rump when he hit the fence. 

Dawdie and Asian Court were involved in the same scrimmage as Prince Darius and both were knocked out of the race. 

Jockey George Moore complained to the stewards about the interference the moment he dismounted from Prince Darius. 

Moore was fuming after the race. 

“Prince Darius was knocked right out of the race in the first            furlong,” he said. 

“Several of us were piled up and I was half-way over the rail. 

“I thought for few seconds that I was gone. 

“After that the horse wouldn’t, or couldn’t, do anything at all. 

“He was cut to ribbons on his legs and also from the shoulder to the rump.”

Yeman’s trainer H “Larry” Wiggins said later; “Yeman was the best thing I have ever seen beaten in my career. 

“He has been cut to pieces - not strips mind you, but gashes in his hind leg,” he said. 

“The bandage on his near front also has been almost cut through, so much so that it has slipped down. 

“He had blood over him, even on his chest, when he came back after the race,” Wiggins said.

The three horses that broke down all finished the course, Pandie Sun 10th, Dream Sun 20th and Neves last. 

The stewards opened an inquiry which resulted in Sydney apprentice K Smith being suspended for a month. 

They found that Smith had caused interference to Dawdie and  Asian Court and had forced Prince Darius on to the rails when he crossed too sharply a furlong after the start. 

The stewards said that Prince Darius had had to be checked and had lost considerable ground.

The stewards also found that Yeman had to check to avoid the heels of Humber Hawk, who had been forced to move out slightly as Baystone had pulled out to make his run. 

The stewards said this happening had been accidental.