Horrified public wants explanation for killing Cliffsofmoher

The nobility of horses evokes passionate emotions from we mere mortals who are unencumbered by the fiscal implications of trying to mend equine bodies.

HORROR: The Cliffsofmoher goes down in yesterday's Melbourne Cup. Picture: news.com

I WAS astounded this morning to open The Courier Mail and see only a brief mention in paragraphs 32 and 33 of the death of The Cliffsofmoher in its up-front Melbourne Cup coverage.

READ MORE: The truth about the horse that died

The public relations disaster that euthanasing that poor animal on the track after it broke down caused was barely acknowledged. The public shock and horror almost broke the internet on Tuesday afternoon. That deserves to be acknowledged, surely.

People want to know - I want to know - why it is possible to fix a domestic pet if it breaks its leg, but if a horse worth God knows how much money breaks anything it is disposed of like yesterday's night soil.

The nobility of horses evokes passionate emotions from we mere mortals who are unencumbered by the fiscal implications of trying to mend equine bodies.

The heartless brutality of euthanasing The Cliffsofmoher warranted more explanation. "Heartless” might not be how its owners, trainer and jockey felt - but that's how it looked.

Many Australians become fascinated by horse racing once a year, and it was distressing for we amateurs to witness what went on with that magnificent creature. And it was far from the first horse to die in the Melbourne Cup. It's enough to turn people off it.