Melbourne Cup 2014: Araldo sadly euthanised follow freak post-race injury (Updated)

Who is Guy Sebastien?

Bondy, we're talking about a day that's important to people right across the country, however, you have to be in Melbourne to go to the Melbourne Cup. What is wrong with people in other parts of the country wanting to enjoy a day at the races on Melbourne Cup day?

I'll just mention also yesterday listening to tvn there were something like 39 race meets throughout the country accompanying cup day, cup day being flogged commercially to no ends . I'm possibly being a tad harsh there. .... ___________ loverofhorses Well said .....

loverofhorses (I am too), well said!

Lets see some footage! Surely someone took a video. It"s a crying shame people are becoming more and more irresponsible. And what about all the rubbish left behind! Disgusting. The rule should be take your rubbish home with you, like in our national parks. See how they like carrying home their numerous empty bottles of grog!

Perhaps at Flemington it is, but in my eyes it's changing and a lot of the mainstream community sees it as a chance to get drunk and watch horse racing (where are they for the other 364 days of the year). Which then all these other people who complain about the industry say well 'it's not classy' and all this jazz which frustrates me because it's people who have no clue what they're doing that always cause the trouble. I'm more concerned that the kid and father got a warning and didn't have their flag confiscated. Who thought bringing a big Australian flag to Flemington on Melbourne Cup day would be a good idea?

Brad according to someone on Racenet who was there and saw the incident , the boy and father had already been warned by security guards not to wave the flag about, after being seen doing it previously,but defiantly chose to ignore them and waved it again anyway as the horses were approaching So they should be feeling pretty upset .Because they chose to ignore the orders given to them by the security guard, this horse has lost his life, the racing industry is under fire by the animal activists. The trainer ,owners and stable staff have lost their horse and are dealing with that. So its them I spare a thought for. Not some child and father who decided they had a right to disobey orders. People have to realise educated or uneducated the day is not about them. The safety and well being of the horse and jockey is the most important thing of all. And the day is all about them , and the trainers who get them on the track. I don't agree with the comment about banning children. But I do think there has to be changes to the way the public are allowed to behave around these equine athletes and their human counterparts.

Bondy agree with you on that. For many it has nothing to do with the horses and races,but the fun and frivolity.For most women its the chance to show off, what you can look good in, and how much flesh you can show to the world. For the celebs its the constant look at me syndrome that's so much a part of their daily life. Only self centred morons actually go to the races, thinking the day is all about them and what they are wearing, drinking etc. The day is about the horses,trainers,owners and jockeys. But sadly we see and hear more about the mindless idiots via the media, especially on channel 7 coverage. Than we do about what the day is all about. I am a woman,but I don't give a hoot what the latest model,fashionista, wanna be reality celeb etc is wearing, and what hat she has on her head,or bag she is clutching. I watch the races purely for the sport and the players of it.And its them who I want to see. In Adelaide the Morphettville racecourse spent most of its advertising money on trying to sell Guy Sebastian to get the public to go. For the last five or so maybe even more weeks, they have been naming races after him , to encourage patrons that the races were all about going to see him sing in the after race concert. Then the Adelaide Now online has had his face plastered all over it , again to entice people to go to the races. Naming races after a celeb who got his claim to fame via a reality tv program, is just plan yuck. . Since when has the races been about him. In fact they named more races after Guy Sebastian over the last few weeks than any horse, trainer, or jockey. That's joke.. Because the day is supposed to be about the people and horses who participate in the sport. And its the biggest turn off for die hard racing fans to want to go. Because we are not into racing for the fashion , or the latest celeb , etc but purely for the love of the sport and the horses. By making it into a circus, they are catering to the uneducated race goer who are not going because of the races,but because of all the social aspects of it. And then drama like what happened with Araldo happens. Sickens me to the core.

Ban children from horse races? Are you kidding? What a ridiculous over-reaction! Yes take measures to ensure that accidents like this don't occur but for gods sake how about choosing one that doesn't go about killing the industry?? Banning kids would just alienate an entire generation, when racing already had issues with getting young people interested... If it happened to be some drunk fellow (which considering the state of some people I don't know how it wasn't) would you be crying ban alcohol?? It is a tragedy, but before banning children from races how about we thing of some less ridiculous measures, say banning flags? or widening the rails so that the horses have a bit of space between themselves and the public? Honestly most adults there wouldn't know how to behave around horses any better than the kids! It's the middle of Melbourne, most of them have probably never seen a horse before! Spare a thought for the poor kid, I imagine he'd be pretty upset about the whole thing.

I frequent these racing forums here I just wonder though has the Melbourne Cup day itself just turned into a commercial circus ?. I cant recall the last Cox Plate day where such incidences occur ... Is Melbourne Cup day just a commercial circus where everything on the turf has nothing to do with the day itself...

Children should not be at horse races, period! If they are make sure they are old enough to know how to behave. No animal likes to have something waved in its face when it doesn't see it. Yes luckily no other horses or jockey were involved. But this could have been prevented if that kid and its parent were smart! Really, why put a kid near a horse anyway? Do they know how dangerous that is? I've been around horses before as a kid and they always say you never scare a horse because you don't know how it will react! It could kick you, bite you and totally freak out and injure itself.

The VRC has to ban flags like that being brought into the racecourse. This is not the place for them. This Horse would of already had adrenaline pumping through his veins from the 3200 metre race. Been exhausted from that. Then to have this child wave a flag with his father holding him up for all to see, just defies logic. This could of ended up a much worse tragedy involving more horses and jockeys, had Araldo reared up, due to the horses being in such close vicinity to each other,as they were walking the path. What possessed the mind of this father, to think holding his son up, who was holding a large Aussie Flag in front of a horse and waving it wildly about, was the right thing to do. Obviously not true horse racing fans ,or people with any idea about how easily racehorses are spooked. If I was the trainer,owners and stable staff, I would be fuming . Animal activists bay for the blood of trainers,owners, jockeys and us horse racing fans, for what they perceive as abuse of these beautiful animals. Yet don't see them baying for the blood of this man and his flag waving child. No they don't blame them for Araldos death. They blame the racing industry instead from what I have seen online. My deepest condolences to the owner, trainer and stable staff of Araldo. He will be missed by all in the racing community .

Fingers crossed for him!