Woke administrators start to ruin the Melbourne Cup.

[Chief Stipe]

MELBOURNE CUP

Cup death findings lead to carnival shake-up

Article Author

Brad Waters

12:48PM28 April 2021

3 Comments

Fewer international horses will be invited to contest the Victorian spring carnival under wide-ranging changes to be implemented but the Melbourne Cup will retain its current capacity.

A report by Racing Victoria into deaths of overseas horses, instigated after Anthony Van Dyck’s fatal injury in last year’s race, has made 44 recommendations, with all but three to be adopted.

Among the recommendations rejected include reducing the Melbourne Cup field to 20 runners and a track rating of Good 4 or softer for the race.

Werribee will continue to be used as the quarantine facility for international gallopers and there will be more extensive vet inspections.

But international horses based at Werribee during the Spring Racing Carnival will be limited to only one start in Australia before competing in the Melbourne Cup in one of the most stringent measures introduced.

Other recommendations include:

■ Horses that have had previous major fractures or orthopaedic surgery be excluded from Werribee.

■ Pre-travel veterinary inspections are performed under raceday conditions.

■ International horses undergo full body scans (CT where possible) at the expense of connections.

■ Additional vet RV checks within a week of arriving in quarantine in Australia.

■ RV vet staff to oversee or provide clinical service at Werribee.

■ Jockeys and trackwork riders to provide report on horse’s gait and exercise each morning to a dedicated independent trawork supervisor.

■ Construct a new horse examination area at Werribee.

■ International and local horses must undergo CT scan of limbs before every race start, and those images sent to an RV panel of experts.

■ Limit of 24 horses at Werribee for the Spring Racing Carnival.

“Racing Victoria, and the broader racing industry, has a duty to provide for the safety and welfare of every horse in every race. The saddening events of last spring showed us that more needed to be done to help reduce serious racing injuries, particularly among international horses targeting our Spring Racing Carnival,” VRC Chairman Brian Kruger said.

“We worked closely with the VRC in commissioning a comprehensive review into the injury rate among international horses participating in the Spring Racing Carnival over the past decade, as well as horses competing in the Melbourne Cup.

“The review ultimately found that injuries in international horses, including in the Melbourne Cup, result from a variety of factors and that a combination of changes is required to reduce the risk of injury rather than one single initiative.

(L-R) Racing Victoria's Executive General Manager Integrity Services, Jamie Stier, Chairman of Racing Victoria, Brian Kruger and VRC Chairman, Neil Wilson at the Racing Victoria review into safety of international horses during the Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

 

“Today we have released a new global safety benchmark for horses competing in the Spring Racing Carnival with a primary goal of delivering a safer Melbourne Cup, one that all Australians can continue to enjoy and be proud of.

“There will be a reduction in the number of international horses that travel to Melbourne with unprecedented veterinary screening and oversight to be delivered, building upon a series of enhancements made in 2019.

“There will be improvements to the Werribee International Horse Centre to aid horse welfare and veterinary screening, whilst all horses, international and local, will need to pass rigorous examinations to take their place in the Melbourne Cup.

“We know some of these initiatives will be onerous on connections, but we make no apology for making the safety of horses our priority. Our sole focus is on ensuring that horses and riders compete safely, and we are committed to delivering these important enhancements in 2021 and beyond.”

“As custodians of Flemington Racecourse, the VRC conducts one of the world’s most recognised racing carnivals and Australia’s original major event – the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The VRC understands its obligation and the importance of continuing to lift the benchmark when it comes to protecting our horses, our jockeys, our sport and Australia’s greatest race,” VRC Chairman Neil Wilson said.

“These initiatives will set a new global standard for horse and jockey safety with the introduction of some of the world’s most stringent pre-travel and pre-race veterinary screening processes.

“This review is an important milestone in the history of the Melbourne Cup, the Spring Racing Carnival, and indeed for the broader national and global racing community.

“We have said consistently that we want to see Australia’s greatest race become its safest. While today’s announcement will see new requirements for this year’s Melbourne Cup, we are committed to a continuous review and improvement approach. Advances in information, technology, science and research will be considered by the industry on an ongoing basis to ensure we are taking advantage of every opportunity to further improve the safety of our sport.

“Everyone at the VRC feels a deep responsibility to provide for the safety of every participant competing on our racecourse. We want every horse and every jockey to come home safely.”

 

 

SPRING RACING CARNIVAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Pre-Travel:

• An enhanced pre-travel veterinary examination process will ensure an unprecedented level of scrutiny on horses wishing to travel with additional compulsory diagnostic imaging and examinations to be conducted;
• All international horses wishing to enter WIHC must undergo full body scintigraphy and CT/MRI of their distal limbs at the expense of their connections two to six weeks prior to entering pre-export quarantine;
• Horses that have had a previous major fracture or orthopaedic surgery will be excluded from travelling and entering WIHC regardless of their current health and soundness;
• An RV appointed veterinarian will conduct a pre-travel veterinary examination in pre-export quarantine within a week of travelling to Australia to ensure the ongoing suitability of horses to travel.

Post-Arrival in Australia:

• All international horses that arrive at WIHC must also undergo a CT scan of their distal limbs prior to each start in Victoria during the Spring Racing Carnival before being permitted to compete, with the costs to be met by RV;
• Dedicated RV appointed veterinary staff will provide and/or oversee veterinary clinical services for international horses at WIHC instead of stables appointing their own private veterinarians;
• Enhanced oversight will include new trackwork monitoring processes and systems along with the world-first introduction of cortisol analysis to monitor stress levels in international horses based at WIHC.

Werribee International Horse Centre:

• The WIHC will be retained as the industry’s quarantine facility and international training centre with further enhancements to be made to the two training tracks and veterinary examination facilities;
• The depth of the profile of the sand-fibre track will be increased and track preparation modified to increase the depth and frequency of harrowing, while the crossing will be upgraded on the turf track;
• The number of international horses permitted to enter the WIHC for the Spring Racing Carnival will be capped at 24 – down from an uncapped peak of 42 in 2018;
• Imported international horses (‘one-way tickets’), whilst in training, will be required to remain at the WIHC until at least the conclusion of Melbourne Cup week before being permitted to transfer to different training facilities.

Melbourne Cup:

• In what is believed to be a world-first initiative, all horses – international and local – must undergo a CT scan of their distal limbs before being permitted to compete in the Melbourne Cup, with the costs to be met by RV;
• That diagnostic imaging must be performed after the date of the Caulfield Cup and prior to Melbourne Cup final acceptances, with local horses permitted to start between their imaging and the Melbourne Cup;
• These scans will be reviewed by a panel of three RV-appointed international experts in equine surgery and veterinary diagnostic imaging to determine the horse’s suitability to race; International horses that travel to Australia via the WIHC will be permitted to have a maximum of one start only in Australia prior to contesting the Melbourne Cup;
• An additional pre-race veterinary inspection of all starters will be conducted by a panel of RV veterinarians on the day prior to the Melbourne Cup, in addition to that already conducted on the Thursday/Friday prior to the race.

Not endorsed:

• A change in the minimum targeted track rating for the Melbourne Cup to Good 4 from no firmer than Good 3 on the basis that the industry’s track surface preparation guidelines were only updated in August 2019 to provide more give in the ground in the interests of horse welfare. It was further noted that the guidelines must be applied consistently to all races for the integrity of the sport (Recommendation No.27);
• A reduction in the Melbourne Cup field size from 24 to 20 starters on the basis that there was limited data to support the impact of this and that none of the fatalities in the race have been caused by interference. It was further noted that there is no evidence that the horses most at risk of injury were the last four horses included in the field through the order of entry (Recommendation No.28).
• An increase in the minimum handicap rating for horses to enter the WIHC from 100 to 110 on the basis that there is no clear evidence to suggest that horses rated below 110 carry any greater risk and that the capping of the number of horses permitted to enter WIHC achieves the same objective of a reduction in international horses (Recommendation No.36).

[Freda]

I was pretty sure I knew what your opinion would be in respect of these moves....but, I have to say I don't agree with you.

To ignore the prevailing - and increasing - anti racing sentiment is just sticking head in sand stuff.

We have the technology to assess these animals,  so better that it be used than not.

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Freda said:

I was pretty sure I knew what your opinion would be in respect of these moves....but, I have to say I don't agree with you.

To ignore the prevailing - and increasing - anti racing sentiment is just sticking head in sand stuff.

We have the technology to assess these animals,  so better that it be used than not.

Where does it stop?  Why just the Melbourne Cup?

Do we test every horse for EIPH?

The science is inexact as evident with the last fatality.  These measures are not going to stop fatalities in racing.

This is a slippery slope and opens up a whole can of worms that has only one conclusion the end of racing.

[aquaman]

I'm afraid the wokes are taking over. As each year goes by, more wokes take up residence, and normal people slip out the back door. In ten years wokes will control the entire west, and normal societies like Asia will control the world. By this time the wokes will turn on each other devouring all in sight starting with common sense.

[Nostradamus]

Is it really to do with welfare or are the Aussies getting annoyed by the fact more and more international horses are taking the big races away from them ?!?! 

[the galah]

6 hours ago, Nostradamus said:

Is it really to do with welfare or are the Aussies getting annoyed by the fact more and more international horses are taking the big races away from them ?!?! 

Those international horses add nothing to the race. Much better if only nz and aussie horses.

[billy connolly]

14 hours ago, Freda said:

To ignore the prevailing - and increasing - anti racing sentiment is just sticking head in sand stuff.

We have the technology to assess these animals,  so better that it be used than not.

It could be argued that your head's in the sand.

I'd have thought that you'd know it's invariably the class horses that injure themselves under pressure, you could line slow bastards up every day of the week without incident!

Ask any trainer worth their salt why it is that good horses sustain the most injuries and to a man (or woman) they'll tell you it's because the good ones try harder.

These are preposterous measures by Racing Victoria, they (and their half-baked vets) may as well be training the horses.
 

[Chief Stipe]

How many horses have broken down during or after their stay at Werribee?

This is a hiding to nothing approach.  There will be other horses break down in the Melbourne Cup even with these regulations in place.  What then?  

There will be even more calls for banning racing full-time.

Racing Victoria (RV) seems to have lost the plot and there is going to be a very public showdown between RV and NSW on whip use.  

[SLB2.0]

12 hours ago, the galah said:

Those international horses add nothing to the race. Much better if only nz and aussie horses.

That's akin to saying you'd rather watch Mitre 10 Cup as opposed to the All Blacks

[the galah]

1 hour ago, SLB2.0 said:

That's akin to saying you'd rather watch Mitre 10 Cup as opposed to the All Blacks

No,its like saying i would much rather watch my local provincial team play the final of the heartland competition than watch 2 teams from the opposite end of the country with mostly imported players and high salary caps play each other in the final. I know who my local players are,have watched their progress through the season,and other followers of the sport locally can relate to their achievements now and in the future.

 

[the galah]

12 hours ago, billy connolly said:

It could be argued that your head's in the sand.

I'd have thought that you'd know it's invariably the class horses that injure themselves under pressure, you could line slow bastards up every day of the week without incident!

Ask any trainer worth their salt why it is that good horses sustain the most injuries and to a man (or woman) they'll tell you it's because the good ones try harder.

These are preposterous measures by Racing Victoria, they (and their half-baked vets) may as well be training the horses.
 

But is what you have just said a myth? I once read a European study on hundreds of harness horses which said the major factors in horses breaking down were preparation,gait, track surface and treatments. It actually did not find the pre conceived theory you suggest was a major factor.

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by the galah

[Gammalite]

On 4/29/2021 at 7:13 AM, Chief Stipe said:

Where does it stop?  Why just the Melbourne Cup?

Do we test every horse for EIPH?

The science is inexact as evident with the last fatality.  These measures are not going to stop fatalities in racing.

It does seem ironic that the race they are targeting has a lot of attrition. 

Racing Victoria has Already scratched overseas runners after CT scans (Marmelo and Ispolini in 2019) so were somewhat applying a couple of these measures already. 

Cliffs of Moher (2018 Melbourne Cup fatality) broke a shoulder , so don't know if their scanning will pick up any abnormality before something like that happens.

Yeah agreed Chief, Why just Melbourne Cup? english horse won the Queen Elizabeth the other day , is he immune?

Like all Athletes that compete at the highest level , the horses (and jockeys) race with past and present injury, and is impossible to predict. (bleeds, etc) , so we will see more 'sad' events as you say.

All the runners should get the same access to 'scans', etc, not just some . How is that fair. Overall though each and everyone of these great horses racing would be getting DAILY care and Assessment from Trainer, strapper , track work riders as to their racing condition and ailments. 

How sound is 'SOUND"? does Moroney need to scan him now been over NZ a couple of times for Auckland Cups internationally? lol (for example)

 

[nomates]

Perhaps all rugby and rugby league players need to be scanned before every game to ensure they will not incur concussions , oh and cover administrators liability ( arses ) .

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Gammalite said:

It does seem ironic that the race they are targeting has a lot of attrition. 

Racing Victoria has Already scratched overseas runners after CT scans (Marmelo and Ispolini in 2019) so were somewhat applying a couple of these measures already. 

Cliffs of Moher (2018 Melbourne Cup fatality) broke a shoulder , so don't know if their scanning will pick up any abnormality before something like that happens.

Yeah agreed Chief, Why just Melbourne Cup? english horse won the Queen Elizabeth the other day , is he immune?

Like all Athletes that compete at the highest level , the horses (and jockeys) race with past and present injury, and is impossible to predict. (bleeds, etc) , so we will see more 'sad' events as you say.

All the runners should get the same access to 'scans', etc, not just some . How is that fair. Overall though each and everyone of these great horses racing would be getting DAILY care and Assessment from Trainer, strapper , track work riders as to their racing condition and ailments. 

How sound is 'SOUND"? does Moroney need to scan him now been over NZ a couple of times for Auckland Cups internationally? lol (for example)

 

Another candidate for post of the year.

Peter Moody has a horse at the moment that has talent but has asymmetric hips so has an awkward gait.  Was scratched by vets at last start because it looked lame!

How many horses have each of us come across that have been really good horses but have failed all the tests?

Miss Potential?

Show Gate?

What was that good filly mare Sea something?

[Freda]

Sea Change.

Don't think she was lame,  but her conformation was awful apparently.