Savage reaction to dead horse, The Cliffsofmoher

The Aidan O’Brien-trained horse suffered a fractured shoulder during Tuesday’s race and had to be euthanised, Racing Victoria’s executive general manager of integrity services, Jamie Stier, said in a statement.

“The horse received immediate veterinary care, however it was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained,” he said.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has called for an investigation into the death, which it described as “the most recent victim of the cruel annual spectacle”.

World Animal Protection also condemned the incident, labelling the Melbourne Cup a “disgrace”.

“The Melbourne Cup is the (disg)race that stops a nation. It’s heartbreaking to see another horse needlessly lose its life during the Melbourne Cup,” senior campaign manager Ben Pearson said in a statement.

“World Animal Protection opposes the use of all animals in entertainment, including the use of horses in the racing industry. It’s time to end the cruelty.”

The RSPCA released a statement on the matter, joining the chorus of discontent.

“RSPCA Australia has long voiced its concerns about the welfare of racehorses, including the use of inhumane devices such as bads and tongue ties, as well as the risk to injury and death during races,” RSPCA Australia spokesperson Jane Speechley said.

“Today’s tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks these horses face every time they run, and highlights that behind the gloss and glamour of Cup celebrations there is a dark reality.

“The racing industry has much work to do across industry standards and enforceable regulations, to meet community expectations and care for the welfare of the animals involved.”

Social media was flooded with angry messages from people condemning the racing industry in response to what veteran commentator Bruce McAvaney described as a “tragedy”.

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It is the fourth time in the past six years that the Cup has been shrouded by the death of horses.

French-trained horse Verema had to be put down after an injury suffered in the 2013 Cup.

A year later pre-race favourite Admire Ratki died after collapsing from heart failure in the stalls minutes after the race.

In the same 2014 race, import Araldo had to be euthanised because of an injury suffered when he was returning to scale.

Araldo placed seventh but was spooked by a flag in the crowd on the way back to weigh in, kicking out and breaking a rear leg on a fence.

In 2015 crowd favourite and three-time Cup runner up Red Cadeaux had to be euthanised two-and-a-half weeks after the Cup as a result of complications from an injury suffered in that year’s race.

“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.

The Newtown Hotel in Sydney held a “F*** the Cup” event today in protest against what it views as the cruel treatment of horses.

The popular pub didn’t air the race on television and some proceeds from today will go to Horse Rescue Australia to rehabilitate ex-racing horses.

Stier said the injury to The Cliffsofmoher was an unfortunate incident that happened infrequently, as Victoria had one of the best safety records in world racing.

O’Brien called the death “very sad” but said it was lucky jockey Ryan Moore remained unharmed.

“Unfortunately these things can happen to a horse galloping around the field at home,” O’Brien said.

“It’s very sad. It could have been worse, Ryan could have taken a fall off him, someone could have been seriously injured.”

English stayer Cross Counter, ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, gave Dubai-based Godolphin stable its first Melbourne Cup with victory in Australia’s most iconic horse race.

Cross Counter, a four-year-old bay gelding trained by Charlie Appleby and based at Newmarket, England, was quoted early at odds of 10 to one. It was only Cross Counter’s eighth start, but he had missed a top-two finish only once.

Marmelo was second and A Prince of Arran two lengths behind in third. An English-trained horse had never won the Melbourne Cup, but Tuesday’s result gave England a 1-2-3 finish.

The winner stormed down from the outside in the final several hundred metres for a length victory. Cross Counter was third-last on the first turn,

“We were lucky to get through,” said McEvoy, who won the Melbourne Cup for the third time. “What a field to do it in. They (Godolphin) have been striving to win this race for a long time.

“Charlie and myself used to travel to Doncaster and Chester and all of the tracks up north in England, back when I was over there riding, and all of those miles meant this, winning the Melbourne Cup.”

Appleby said the Melbourne Cup had been on his “bucket list for a long time”. It was the 158th running of the 3200m race and had a purse of 7.3 million Australian dollars.

The forecast rain arrived early on the day of the Cup, with more than 50mm falling in the hours leading up to the race. Another Aidan O’Brien horse, Yucatan, had gone off as early favourite, but finished 11th.

Magic Circle, a stayer which had won its last two starts by a combined margin of 12 lengths, was well-backed at 9-1 but finished 16th in the 24-horse field.

— with AP