Controversy has again befallen the Melbourne Cup after last-placed Anthony Van Dyck broke a fetlock coming around the last turn, leading to the horse being euthanised.
Van Dyck appeared to suffer a nasty injury to the left leg coming around the final bend was immediately pulled up by jockey Hugh Bowman – who was uninjured – before being loaded into an ambulance. Its condition was initially unknown, before Racing.com confirmed on air that vets had no choice but to euthanise the horse.
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Racing Victoria promised a full fatality report will be prepared. The full statement from Racing Victoria’s Jamie Stier reads as follows;
“It is with sadness that we confirm that Anthony Van Dyck had to be humanely euthanised after sustaining a fractured fetlock during the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
“The horse received immediate veterinary care, however he was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained.
“Our sympathies are extended to the owners of Anthony Van Dyck, trainer Aidan O’Brien and all his staff who cared for the horse and are greatly saddened by their loss.”
“The fatality report gives consideration to the circumstances of the incident and any potential learnings to assist in the prevention of similar injuries in the future,” Mr Stier said.
“The report will include the findings of a post-mortem which will now be conducted by the University of Melbourne Veterinary Clinic and we expect it will be several weeks before we have a completed report for consideration.”
Last year’s race saw Rostropovich rushed to hopistal as well, although that horse fortunately recovered.
The Cliffsofmoher, unfortunately, was euthanised on the track after suffering a fractured shoulder during in 2018. Both Anthony Van Dyck and The Cliffsofmoher were trained by Ireland’s Aidan O’Brien.
Horses Verema, Admire Rakti, Araldo, Red Cadeaux and Regal Monarch have all died on Melbourne Cup day since 2013.
BlouBul
Roar Rookie
Lowlife..can't even say that about the horse because it is DEAD. Doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is dumb.
Nick
Roar Guru
Quite possibly. Perhaps even the quarantine conditions?
Rob
Guest
I think it might have more to do with the track and how many horses are in the field. Most of the horses that have been injuried or euthanised in the cup lately have been internationals. In Europe especially they run on much softer tracks so maybe the sudden change in track conditions could be playing a role?
Nick
Roar Guru
It's a comment in protest of the situation, Kanga. It's exactly what the protesters say. Re read it
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
How is this a joking situation for you . What a lowlife you are .
BlouBul
Roar Rookie
Does it go to the big dog food factory or the small dog food factory or the expensive dog food factory.
Greysy
Roar Rookie
Another dead horse. What a "sport".
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Excellent explanation mate...most people struggle to understand.
percy P
Roar Rookie
After any orthopedic procedure a horse will try to bear virtually full weight on the effected leg. Amongst other things that's way too much weight for the implant used in the repair of a relatively small stubby bone like a fetlock. The biggest stress on the repair & the implant(s) holding the fragments together is when the horse is waking up from the anaesthetic while the horse is particularly wobbly. So yeah, the success rate of such surgery is zero, effectively.
Nick
Roar Guru
The question to ask now is whether the horses are carrying too much weight for staying races? Of course, not sure jockeys can physically be lighter either...
The Late News
Roar Rookie
600kg plus on relatively small bones and tendons...most horses don't lie down to sleep.. so recovering is almost impossible if they won't keep the weight off the injury.
Micko
Roar Rookie
:shocked: Why can't horses recover from these breaks?