Animal welfare advocates have renewed calls for horse racing to be banned after a horse died shortly after the conclusion of this year's Melbourne Cup.
While broadcasters on the Seven Network expressed disbelief, it was entirely expected by others.
Irish horse The Cliffsofmoher collapsed injured shortly after the start of this year's Melbourne Cup.
Half an hour later, the 5-year-old horse was confirmed dead after being euthanased.
It's prompted animal welfare advocates to renew calls for horse racing to be banned, or at least, better regulated in Australia.
Animal rights group PETA claims 120 horses died on Australian tracks between August 2017 and July this year, an average of almost one every three days.
PETA Australia spokesperson Emily Rice says horses are generally raced while very young, leading to many injuries and deaths.
((RICE))
((So the age bracket of around two years old for a horse is prior to their full skeletal development. So what we are seeing is someone light will be sitting on their back when bones aren't developed, that's why we see a lot of legbreaks. You see a lot of injuries from falls, we've seen many many falls because you can never predict the conditions on a race day.))
The Cliffsofmoher is the sixth horse in as many years to die on Melbourne Cup day.
Ms Rice has accused race organisers of celebrating animal cruelty.
((RICE))
((As an event the Melbourne Cup isn't worse than any other horse race. Horses are drying on Australian tracks all the time, but what we have seen is with the Melbourne Cup it has turned into a spectacle celebrated worldwide and has elevated itself to this level of having a public holiday in celebration of it.))
Racing Victoria Executive General Manager Jamie Stier ((STY-uh)) issued a statement shorty after the race, saying The Cliffsofmoher was what he called "humanely euthanised" after sustaining a fractured right shoulder.
((STATEMENT))
(("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.”))
