Melbourne Cup’s chaotic $1.27m bungle explained

The full field of the Melbourne Cup was confirmed after a week of headaches with a $1 million machine wreaking havoc on the race.

The Melbourne Cup is must-watch viewing every year. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images for the VRC).

The million-dollar price tag on the world-leading CT scanner at Werribee couldn’t save the machine from plunging the Melbourne Cup into chaos last week.

Following several fatalities in the race in recent years, a strict new system had been introduced in an effort to avoid any horses getting injured or dying in the race.

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Racing Victoria (RV) introduced new health screening protocols after an inquiry made a series of recommendations following the 2020 Spring Carnival where Anthony Van Dyck became the sixth horse to die in the Melbourne Cup in the past seven years.

Under RV’s new health protocols for the biggest three races during the Spring Carnival — the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup — there was greater veterinary oversight in the lead-up to the race that stops the nation.

Bone scans and CT/MRI scans were mandated for runners within two-to-six weeks of travel, while a vet appointed by RV would inspect each horse during their pre-travel quarantine.

RV bought a high-priced CT scanner in 2019 to help identify underlying health issues that might not be noticed during a standard check-up. This would help determine that each runner is healthy enough to race before stepping onto the track.

The CT scanner was reportedly the first of its kind in Australia when it arrived in Victoria two years ago, and was purchased for approximately $1.27 million. The fixed machine lives at the University of Melbourne’s U-Vet Equine Centre and helps reduce the risk of horses inflaming limb injuries.

Crucially, and unlike many similar CT scanners, this machine doesn’t require horses to receive a general anaesthetic to be assessed.

How are RV’s health protocols different to previous years?

Until 2020, it wasn’t mandatory for horses to undergo a CT scan. Scans were only required if they were already injured or if vets wanted more information about a runner’s condition.

That changed this year because of the increased focus on health and safety protocols for all Melbourne Cup runners.

Another key recommendation accepted by Racing Victoria in the wake of last year’s inquiry was to introduce a further health inspection of Cup runners the day before the race, on Monday.

Previously, horses underwent a visual and manipulative assessment by a panel of vets on the Thursday or Friday the week before the great race. But this year there will be one final look on the eve of the race.

Melbourne Cup organisers are working overtime to ensure a safe race. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images for the VRC)

What went wrong?

Racing Victoria’s best-laid plans to show just how seriously it’s taking the wellbeing of horses this carnival, after widespread outrage following the deaths of Melbourne Cup runners Anthony Van Dyck and Cliffsofmoher in recent years, quickly went awry.

The expensive CT scanner in Werribee broke down when only 19 of the 35th fourth acceptors for the Melbourne Cup had been assessed. The problem was so unusual, a spare part needed to be flown in from America before repairs could be made.

It was reportedly a world-first malfunction of the scanner’s digital board that threw preparation for the Cup into chaos. RV Executive General Manager – Integrity Services, Jamie Stier, said: “Since its installation two years ago, U-Vet advise that the standing CT scanner has examined over 200 horses, and this is the first time it’s had a mechanical issue so the timing is both unfortunate and disappointing.”

RV was racing the clock to get the machinery fixed, with all horses needing to be scanned before last Friday. That’s because horses are sedated to complete the scans and all sedatives need to be completely removed from the horses’ systems before they race.

If the scans weren’t done by Friday, then the remaining horses couldn’t be scanned at all because there wouldn’t be enough time left for the sedatives to leave their system.

What was the solution?

Authorities quickly went to plan B, which involved the 15 horses who had not yet been assessed by the CT scanner instead undergoing high-quality X-rays of their distal limbs.

These X-rays would then be looked at by three imaging experts also responsible for analysing the CT scans, who could then give the horses a clean bill of health and permission to race.

However, the headaches kept coming. The X-ray equipment at the Werribee facility — being used because the CT scanner was out of action — also malfunctioned last week, reportedly leaving horses trapped in unfamiliar boxes waiting for hours to get their X-rays done.

Thankfully, it was reportedly only a couple of hours before the machine was fixed, so there wasn’t too much damage done.

Young Werther won’t race in the Melbourne Cup after failing a CT scan. (Scott Barbour/Racing Photos via Getty Images)

Have there been any health scares before Cup day?

Despite all the chaos, the full field was set on Saturday. There were question marks over Spanish Mission, who had some skin irritation on his right leg, but further medical checks cleared the international stayer of any structural damage, and the irritation was cleared up with a dose of approved antibiotics.

Two horses have been ruled out of this year’s Melbourne Cup after failing their CT scanner tests. Young Werther was considered one of the fancies for the race but trainer Danny O’Brien was forced to withdraw him.

“Young Werther’s CT scan has highlighted an area of concern & he will not be running in the Melb Cup,” O’Brien tweeted last week.

“It’s disappointing news, but we fully support the RVL protocols,” the tweet read.

Harpo Marx was also scratched from the Melbourne Cup following concerns about his CT scan results.

Originally published as Melbourne Cup’s chaotic $1.27m bungle explained