‘Nup to the Cup’ numpties wildly out of touch

You can always count on greenies to spoil everyone else’s fun but their ill-informed views on horse racing are wildly out of touch with the rest of Australia.

You can always count on the greenies to go after every one else’s fun.

We’re used to the “Nup to the Cup” numpties coming out to protest horse racing once a year – only to completely ignore it for the next 364 days – because it’s important for them to maintain their virtuous cred.

But this week, when the rest of Victoria was gearing up for the state’s first major event in months, the Greens were launching a campaign not just to end the Melbourne Cup – but all racing.

There is no doubt the Cup had, in recent years, a poor record when it came to horse deaths.

Every single one of those horses that broke down came from overseas. An Australian horse has not broken down in the Cup in close to 50 years.

Verry Elleegant ridden by James McDonald wins the Lexus Melbourne Cup. (Reg Ryan/Racing Photos via Getty Images)

So Racing Victoria and the Victorian Racing Club instituted a suite of measures to stop these tragedies – and it worked.

They cut the number of international horses allowed at Werribee International Quarantine Centre, subjected them to pre and post-arrival examinations, banned horses that had previously suffered fractures or needed orthopaedic surgery and allowed only one lead-in race to the Cup.

It delivered a safe and successful Melbourne Cup – one of the best in years.

The Greens knew this was coming – and that it would take the wind out of their “Nup to the Cup” sails – so they upped the ante and put the entirety of racing in their sights.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi led the charge, shortly followed by her colleagues.

Some sections of the media clearly share this view, too.

The Guardian’s Matilda Boseley wrote the other day: “Imagine still supporting the Melbourne Cup in 2021 … idk that’s pretty embarrassing man”.

I highly doubt these people have been near a racetrack in their lives, let alone training stables.

They don’t understand racing because they’ve never bothered to look past their own ill-informed misconceptions.

Based on the latest data, the death rate of racehorses is about 0.4 of a per cent. So 99.6 per cent are perfectly safe.

Rarely and unfortunately, some horses suffer serious injuries and they are euthanised, just as we accept is humane for injured pets.

The activists would have you believe trainers and owners are callous and don’t care about their horses. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Watch how distraught Ciaron Maher was after the recent death of Sir Dragonet.

As Verry Elleegant’s trainer, Chris Waller, said the other day through tears following his Melbourne Cup win: “You look after them and they really look after you”.

There are more than 156,000 people directly involved in the racing industry across the country.

More than 82,500 of them are horse owners – including me.

The Dominator, ridden by William McCarthy, clears the jump on their way to winning the Hammonds Paints Thackeray Steeplechase at Warrnambool. Picture: Reg Ryan

The number of people who watch and follow racing and go to the track is vastly larger.

Meanwhile, the activists can barely get 10 people to protest out the front of a race meeting.

Racing Victoria, in 2009, banned jumps racing. They quickly reversed their decision thanks to the work of people like former Melbourne Racing Club chairman Mike Symons.

Since then, the magnificent Warrnambool jumps carnival has grown in attendance and, before Covid times, attracted more than 30,000 people each year who generated more than $15m in spending for the town.

The safety of jumps racing has improved immensely in recent years with new hurdles.

The activists have achieved a small win in South Australia where Racing SA, with the inexplicable support of the state’s biggest jumps racing club, Oakbank, have scrapped jumps from next year.

There is a serious fight on to reverse that.

But the numbers speak for themselves. Australians love racing and they love the Melbourne Cup.

Yes, there are rogues and crooks. Just as there are in any other facet of the world – and they should be weeded out.

The activists can keep holding their committee meetings in a Tarago while the rest of us enjoy the races.

Originally published as ‘Nup to the Cup’ numpties wildly out of touch