Australia’s Melbourne Cup – “The Race That Stops a Nation” (and one of the richest on the planet) – has claimed its sixth (that we know about) victim in six years. Yesterday, Cliffs of Moher, four, broke a shoulder and, in the words of the attending vets, “was unable to be saved.” His trainer had this to say: “Unfortunately these things can happen to a horse galloping around the field at home.” Yes, how unfortunate. Vile down under, too. (full coverage, including pictures, here)
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I am mystified how all this happens. Had horses,they never ran around and tripped ,fell,broke anything. All died of complications of previous injuries(human i nflicted)so, these things just happen?! Hhmmmm. Hope you all rot in Hell
This is what I, someone not experienced with horses, would think. That a horse doesn’t fall, break a shoulder or anything else if left to her/his own volition. It’s hard to imagine. Of course, this horse was likely pushed hard, whipped and made to do things that were not physically safe. How can these people live with themselves?
Another horse came back with a “broken blood vessel”, and yet another came back “lame in the near foreleg”. And as for this unfortunate horse, Aidan O’Brien’s assistant said, “it’s a bit sickening, for it to end this way”. Yes, I would say so! VERY sickening!
Aidan O’Brien sent another of his horses overseas and killed him, too – George Washington in the Breeders’ Cup Classic several years ago.
I saw a comment that one of the Melbourne Cup racing commentators mentioned that The Cliffsofmoher (also referred to as Cliffs of Moher) was sweating profusely before the race.
And then he breaks his shoulder.
Oh, that breaks my heart to hear that CliffsofMoher was sweating profusely before that fatal race.
I’d read that also, Joy, and that the horse had a bluish purple tongue prior to the race from his tongue tie being too tight.
George Washington failed at stud so it was decided to run him again – and run him they did!
Poor GW was no longer an asset to his connections!
Also, the weather on that day of the Breeders’ Cup was horrendous and many thought racing should have been cancelled – but cancel a day of such prestigious racing? I don’t think so ! What has safety got to do with it, anyway.
The same as “what’s love got to do with it?”
Absolutely nothing.
A correction on my part, in respect for Cliffs of Moher…
Cliffs of Moher is his registered name but I see that foreign horses that race in Australia must change their name if another horse had raced previously with that same name.
Therefore, he was assigned The Cliffsofmoher for the MC.
Such a beautiful colt.
Yes, he was a handsome one – looked almost black. Sad.
This business, the abusers, and the enablers of the abuse are directly responsible for the maiming and/or dying of racehorses while being exploited.
Furthermore, this multibillion dollar industry is solely responsible for the racehorses standing at the kill auctions, and bleeding out on the slaughterhouse floor.
Aidan O’Brien, hailed as the trainer of the century, is no different than any other trainer who has a trail of dead racehorses leading right up to their parasitic face.
The daily doping cocktails, permissible in this industry, mask chronic issues and the doping records are kept secret because if they ever became public knowledge than these vile apologists would be further exposed.
I emphasize these doping cocktails are permissible and the reason why is because it keeps sore, lame, racehorses on the verge of dying going so that they can fill races and increase wagering profits.
These apologists belong in another century – like the turn of the century where this business belongs not in the 21st century.
Bill 13 to BAN greyhound racing has finally been passed, but it’s very sad that horse racing wasn’t included on the ballot – it will be one day, and that day is coming near.
Another horrific, depraved day at the races — let’s keep fighting to end the torturous abuse to Horses once and for all.
Cliffs of Moher was hauled all over the the world to make money (USA, Europe, Australia). However, he was not the big winner his well heeled connections expect. Unlike his stable mate, Highland Reel, with over 10 million in earnings his earnings were a paltry one and a half million.! Poor horse fractures his shoulder in the big race !!!!
MIND YOUR BISCUITS has made $4,279,566 for his very wealthy owners.
He last won back in September, but allegedly got injured that required some resting.
I read an article that said he was being shipped to Japan where his connections made millions for that deal, but the plans changed, he was put back into training, and ran in the Breeders Cup last weekend finishing 11th by over 30 lengths!!
Is the stud duty in Japan still on?
Most likely, but this example exemplifies these monsters, and the owners are super rich so it’s not like they are desperate for money to take care of a horse that made them over 4 million dollars, but GREED seems to play a part here because they risked his life.
Had he finished in the top 3 it probably would have increased their “deal” with Japan.
Hell, normal working people treat their domestic dogs better than this and they didn’t make them over 4 million dollars – that’s how vile these people are.
Status of Mind Your Biscuits unknown, but he endured massive abuse it seems during the race.
He wasn’t up to it for whatever reason, but what in the hell would he have left to prove anyways??
The horse had nothing to prove but the connections did prove they do not give a damn about this horse or any other horse, for that matter – money and only is what they care about. Disgusting greed trumps any consideration for the welfare of the horse.
Patrick,
There were five (5) horses who died in the last 5 runnings of the Melbourne Cup –
Verema, a beautiful mare owned by the Aga Khan (and she was another horse who did not parade well before the race, not just my opinion but that of several equine experts).
Admire Rakti, the Japanese horse who died of a heart attack after the race (due to the gruelling stress of the race and perhaps for another reason as well, as some have suggested) he was beginning to collapse before they got him back to the stall with his hind legs going down – people were calling out for a vet for him, to no avail.
The vets were attending Araldo but no vets available for Admire Rakti who was the hot favourite and came home a distance of about 21 lens – the usual practice is for the vets to go to the favourite if he has performed poorly. I believe that after this they decided to have more vets on duty on MC day…
Araldo (got his leg caught in the fencing on way back to his stall) it was fractured but somehow they managed to transport him to the equine hospital when they then euthanased him.
Red Cadeaux (the much adored international racehorse) his owner and trainer had a horse in the Melbourne Cup this year but it was found not to be suitable to race and vetted out.
and this year’s MC
The Cliffsofmoher (owned by the Williams family and Coolmore) a beautiful young horse close to jet black in colour and had won $1.7 in prizemoney let alone the punt.
In 2017, there was a horse, Regal Monarch (trained by Chris Waller) who suffered a terrible catastrophic injury but somehow they got him transported to an equine hospital and there they euthanased him. This occurred in a race that was run before the Melbourne Cup.
In the past few years the number of horses that have broken down and died in the few weeks before the MC in early morning trackwork has significantly increased. Another damning statistic for the world famous Melbourne Cup.
Certain influential people in the community are demanding an INDEPENDENT inquiry (if that’s possible in the racing industry) into all the deaths both in the race and in the lead up training, to be conducted without delay.
They say that it’s the race that stops the nation.
Now some are saying
The nation that stops the race.
A two mile race with 24 horses competing for huge prizemoney going back to 10th place, rough and careless riding, the obligatory excessive whipping, horses breaking down and dying and despite winning 13 MCs, even the late Bart Cummings stated publicly that it was “a rough and tumble affair” and I remember him having a go at a jockey over the use of the whip on one of his horses.