Racing industry doesn’t deserve all the hate after Melbourne Cup death of The Cliffsofmoher
THE death of The Cliffsofmoher was a gut-wrenching moment in the Melbourne Cup, but the racing industry doesn’t deserve the vitriol being hurled at it by hysterical anti-racing campaigners who are detached from the reality of it all, writes Greg Davis
SuperRacing
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THE hysterical anti-racing campaigners need to get off their high horse.
And once they dismount, they should go visit a working stable first thing in the morning before the sun comes up.
They’d see hard-working, often lowly paid people mucking out stables, feeding, cleaning and exercising horses as part of their relentless daily regime to pamper and prepare the majestic beasts that are like family to them.
Because that’s the racing industry that they are so keen to shut down.
Racing is most certainly not the trackside marquees full of champagne-sipping VIPs. That glamourous façade at major carnivals is just that, a façade.
Racing is a 365-day-a-year industry employing thousands of people who work their fingers to the bone for the horses they love.
The theatre-goers who rock up for the big days to be wined and dined probably don’t care all that much about the thoroughbreds. That’s fine. Whatever.
They can also go the whole day without turning their head to see an actual race live, as they prefer to discuss their chances in Fashions on the Field.
But they do not represent the racing industry. Don’t make that mistake.
At the heart of it, it is not a sport for toffs. It is a passion for people who show up rain, hail or shine, far from the glare of the limelight.
For every sheik, there are thousands of hardy, salt-of-the-earth souls who engage in back-breaking work, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
The tragic death of Melbourne Cup runner The Cliffsofmoher yesterday was gut-wrenching for all genuine racing people who are horse-loving people.
The image of the giant screens being put around the horse, in the shadows of a corporate hospitality at Flemington, so it could be euthanized after fracturing its right shoulder, were graphic.
It was heart-breaking. Just horrible. Nobody ever wants to see that.
It is a terribly unfortunate reality of the caper when you have these massive animals going at high speeds on surfaces that are affected by the weather.
It is a highly dangerous game for horse and jockey — always has been, always will be.
Too many horses have died in recent years at the Melbourne Cup. Just one horse dying on the sport’s biggest stage is too many.
But the constantly outraged hand-wringers who could not get on social media quick enough yesterday want to tell you that the racing industry doesn’t care, that the cruel racing caravan rolls on regardless without a second thought about the well-being of the animals.
Jockey Hugh Bowman was rubbed out for a month yesterday, partly for over use of the whip on runner-up Marmelo.
Of course the industry cares.
It cares deeply. And It was hurting yesterday.
In the wake of The Cliffsofmoher’s death, calls for the Melbourne Cup and the racing industry as whole to be scrapped were as ludicrous as they are delusional.
As if that is ever going to happen. Seriously, get a grip.
If the industry was wound up today, thousands of people would be out of work. And who would be looking after the thousands of horses in Australia then?
● VET EXPLAINS: Why The Cliffsofmoher had to be euthanised
● MARGARET WENHAM: Ban the Melbourne Cup now
● CHARLIE APPLEBY: From stable boy to Cup-winning trainer
Originally published as Racing industry doesn’t deserve all the hate after Melbourne Cup death of The Cliffsofmoher
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