Top veterinarian Dr Chris Brown has explained why Irish horse The Cliffsofmoher couldn’t be saved after shattering his shoulder during the running of the Melbourne Cup.
The five-year-old stallion looked anxious and distressed before the start of Tuesday’s race – before suffering the devastating injury almost as soon as the stalls opened.
After The Cliffsofmoher was euthanised on the course, Dr Brown – known as the ‘Bondi Vet’ – revealed why the horse had to be put down after the race.
Top vet Dr Chris Brown has explained why Irish stallion The Cliffsofmoher (pictured) couldn’t be saved after shattering his shoulder during the Melbourne Cup
An Irish horse (The Cliffsofmoher pictured on Tuesday) has died after being injured during a fall early in the Melbourne Cup race
Dr Brown said horses have ‘massive engines’ but are ‘built around a light frame’.
‘If the horse has a fatal flaw, it’s those long leg bones,’ he said.
‘Despite carrying over 500kg in weight at any one time, they’re surprisingly light and thin.
‘The sad result being that if forces come from a strange angle (from a knock or a stumble) or a stress fracture is already present, the bone doesn’t just gently break, it tragically explodes.’
‘Multiple, misshapen bone fragments are then left behind. Fragments that then can’t be pinned or plated back into place,’ Dr Brown wrote on his Facebook page.
Dr Brown said unlike household pets, horses struggle to cope using three legs while another is healing.
‘That big body of theirs becomes susceptible to circulation problems and pressure sores if they’re doing anything but standing on all four legs with their weight evenly supported,’ he wrote .
‘(Rest in peace) CliffsofMoher. At just five years of age, you were gone too soon…’
Meanwhile, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have called for an investigation into the horse’s death – having previously demanded the race be scrapped altogether.
The activist group called The Cliffsofmoher ‘the most recent victim of the cruel annual spectacle’.
Dr Brown (pictured) – known as the ‘Bondi Vet’ – took to Facebook to detail why The Cliffsofmoher had to be euthanised
The horse (pictured being examined on Tuesday) was reportedly agitated before the barrier gates opened, with one commentator describing him as ‘melting like an ice cream’
The Cliffsofmoher’s jockey Ryan Moore (pictured) walks away in despair after his hose Cliffsofmoher was injured at the Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday
‘Considering Australians hate cruelty to animals, commemorating a day on which horses routinely die in the Melbourne Cup is fundamentally un-Australian,’ a PETA spokesman said on Tuesday.
‘While public holidays give Aussies a break, horses are breaking legs.’
The stallion was lathered in sweat in the mounting yard when waiting to be loaded into the starting barriers before the race.
‘He’s melting like an ice-cream at the moment,’ Channel Seven commentator and top racehorse trainer Richard Freedman said.
‘He’s really sweating up badly.’
Despite his nerves, the horse jumped well from the gate and galloped freely before suddenly falling just as the field passed the winning post for the first time.
Irish jockey Ryan Moore immediately stopped riding the five-year-old.
Veterinary and course staff ran out to the stricken stallion and immediately saw the horse’s injury was so severe that he would have to immediately be put down. They erected a screen around him to block the view from the crowd.
The Cliffsofmoher’s death is the third time in five years a horse has died after running in the Melbourne Cup – an awful record for the country’s most prestigious turf event, and far in excess of the usual rate of fatalities in racing.
Another horse, Galaxy Rider, had a horror fall in a later race during the Melbourne Cup event
The death will fuel claims, from animal rights activists, the race that stops the nation is cruel, after two horses collapsed and died during the 2014 Cup while the following year Red Cadeaux had to be put down after shattering a leg
Two horses died following the 2014 Cup, while Red Cadeaux had to be put down after suffering a leg injury.
The deaths have added to animals rights activists’ calls for racing to be better regulated or even banned.
‘Our thoughts are with animal lovers across the country who have been affected by this loss, and confronted by the very real risks posed by racing to the horses involved,’ RSPCA Australia’s Jane Speechley said.
‘RSPCA Australia has long voiced its concerns about the welfare of racehorses, including the use of inhumane devices such as whips and tongue ties, as well as the risk to injury and death during races.’
Joseph O’Brien, son of the horse’s trainer Aidan O’Brien, was upset but philosophical when discussing the incident with the Herald Sun.
‘It’s a shocking thing but unfortunately things can happen to a horse galloping around the field at home. It’s very sad.’
‘It could have been worse, Ryan (Moore) could have taken a fall off him [Cliffsofmoher], someone could have been seriously injured.’
Racing Victoria issued a statement confirming the equine tragedy.
‘The horse received immediate veterinary care, however it was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained,’ Racing Victoria’s executive general manager of integrity services Jamie Stier said.
‘This was an unfortunate incident that happens infrequently, with Victoria having one of the best safety records in world racing.’
The Cliffofmoher was at odds of $19 to win the Cup and deliver owner Lloyd Williams a third straight victory in the big race.
The Cliffsofmoher (pictured in October 2018 at Werribee racecourse in Melbourne) was shot after injuring his right shoulder, a year after making its impressive Australian debut
The horse, which was based at County Tipperary in Ireland, had won more than $1.7million in prize money.
Kyle Sandilands’ girlfriend Imogen Anthony also took to Instagram to blame the race day at Flemington for the death of the horse.
‘It shows how much we have no regard for life in general. Another living thing’s LIFE. Not even to eat, not even to survive, purely just to run for your viewing pleasure and win back a fifty buck bet…’
‘The Melbourne Cup is not fun – it’s disgusting ~ it shows that our country is only 200 years old and we are fresh off the barbarian boat… [sic].’