Melbourne Cup 2018: Why Cliffsofmoher had to die
IT was the tragedy that marred the Melbourne Cup when vets had to kill star Irish galloper CliffsofMoher after he suffered a catastrophic fracture of his shoulder. Now an equine vet explains why he couldn’t be saved.
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VETS had to kill star Irish galloper Cliffsofmoher immediately after the Melbourne Cup because it suffered a “catastrophic unrepairable fracture” of its shoulder, according to leading equine vets.
The five-year-old stallion broke down just after crossing the post the first time — just 1000m after the start.
Vets quickly attended to the Irish runner — ridden by star English jockey Ryan Moore — but soon after they shielded the horse from the public and killed him.
Equine Veterinarians Australia spokesman Ian Fulton said the full extent of the injury would have been apparent nearly immediately to the vets, who he praised for their handling of the injury.
“When the limb is very obviously broken you can tell with the leg… and it’s very easy to come to the decision that it’s what we call a catastrophic unrepairable fracture.
“But the decision has to be made very quickly because if the horse has sustained an unrepairable fracture it’s vital that horse is not allowed to suffer.
“The decision is made very quickly but also with a lot of experience.”
Dr Fulton said the horse had suffered a fractured humerus in the horse’s shoulder region, which was an area that vets could not repair.
“In recent decades we’ve become very good at fixing lower limb fractures from the knee or the hock down so many horses can be salvaged but these fractures that occur at the top of the limb, the weight of the horse and the fact they can’t survive to stand on three legs, means some of these fractures are simply unrepairable such as the case today.”
Dr Fulton, who was at the Melbourne Cup and saw the horse pull up was also full of praise for jockey
“The jockey did a tremendous job to pull the horse up instantly and very carefully,” he said.
“I had full vision, the jockey dismounted and kept the horse calm and the horse stood still.
“It was just an amazing effort by the jockey that needs to be acknowledged.”
Dr Lester Walters from the Eagle Farm Equine Consultancy Services and Veterinary Hospital said when a horse breaks its humerus the fracture “always spirals” and often results in multiple fractures.
“If that happens you just cannot repair them, you really put the animal through a lot of pain and misery with no resolve,” he said.
“The shoulder is a particularly difficult one, as is the elbow, because it’s hard to stabilise them and a big horse - most of those horses in the Melbourne Cup would be average 550kg - is well over the mark for contemplating a successful recovery,” he said.
“I’d say if the vet has made that call, he’s made a call that would be extremely beneficial to the horse.”
Victoria Racing released a statement soon after confirming the vet’s decision to kill the horse.
“It is with sadness that we confirm that The Cliffsofmoher had to be humanely euthanised after sustaining a fractured right shoulder during the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington,” executive general manager Jamie Stier said.
“The horse received immediate veterinary care, however it was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained.
“This was an unfortunate incident that happens infrequently, with Victoria having one of the best safety records in world racing.”
Mr Stier said vets were with the horse “all but immediately” and that it had received the best possible care.
The horse will be subject to a post-mortem but there had been no indication of any issue pre-race.
Immediately after the race, trainer Aidan O’Brien conceded it “didn’t look good”.
“It’s a shocking thing but unfortunately things can happen to a horse galloping around the field at home. It’s very sad,” Joe O’Brien said.
“It could have been worse, Ryan (Moore) could have taken a fall off him, someone could have been seriously injured.
“Obviously it looked quite serious.”.
The 2013 race was also marred by the injury and subsequent death of champion mare Verema, who broke down after snapping a bone in her leg.
At the time, news.com.au racing editor Ray Thomas said for decades veterinary science had tried many different methods to attempt to save a horse’s life after it suffered a leg break.
“Some very valuable stallions, worth up to $100 million, have suffered similar injuries and efforts have been made to save their lives by placing the injured horse in a flotation tank for weeks, even months, to take the weight off the injured leg and assist the healing process,” he said.
“However, the very physiological make-up of the thoroughbred means it has to move either by walking or running to assist breathing and for their physical wellbeing.
“When a 500kg animal is immobilised for an extended period, invariably that horse will suffer terribly because it does not eat well, physically loses conditions (fitness) and has to endure shocking pain.
“An injured racehorse with this sort of injury literally dies on front of your eyes if attempts are made to keep it alive.”
Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2018: Why Cliffsofmoher had to die