Mixed feelings over Racing Victoria report into Cup fatalities
A long list of recommendations following a review into the deaths of five international Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) contenders were handed down by Racing Victoria (RV) yesterday, sparking a mixed reaction from local and overseas industry participants.
After lengthy and robust consultation with more than 60 industry stakeholders, including leading trainer Chris Waller and Godolphin Australia’s managing director and Victoria Racing Club (VRC) director Vin Cox, a total of 44 recommendations were presented in a 21-page report, of which 41 have been endorsed.
OTI Racing’s Terry Henderson, who has had more than a dozen international horses contest Australia’s most iconic race, including 2008 runner-up Bauer (Halling), was critical of the small level of “veterinary detail” provided in the review of fatalities, especially the catastrophic limb injury suffered by the Aidan O’Brien trained Anthony Van Dyck (Galileo) last year.
“I was disappointed they didn’t go into more detail about not only Anthony Van Dyck but also others that have suffered demise.
“It’s not just Anthony Van Dyck, there were other horses that should have had scans last year as well, notwithstanding that, the recommendations and processes that were announced are necessary given what we face ourselves with in the Melbourne Cup,” said Henderson.
The Anthony Van Dyck fatality report revealed that if MRI or CT scans had been performed on the English Derby winner’s fetlocks prior to the Melbourne Cup, his tragic death in last year’s race might have been prevented.
The report stated: “Despite the absence of clinical signs which would ordinarily prompt further diagnostic examination, precautionary diagnostic imaging, such as an MRI or CT of fetlocks after the Caulfield Cup and prior to the Melbourne Cup, may have identified the potential for a future serious racing injury based on the findings of the post-mortem.
“Furthermore, research by Professors Whitton and Hitchens of the University of Melbourne on international horses that sustained fatal injuries and were subject to CT post-mortem, showed that 60 per cent had changes that were likely to have been detected with CT of the distal limbs prior to the fracture occurring and these changes would have been considered to constitute an increased risk of fracture.”
As a result of the finding, one of the most significant recommendations is that overseas horses must now undergo a series of pre-export tests – at the expense of their owners – as well as be available for a further pre-export test from a Racing Victoria-appointed vet and comply with a number of pre-race tests during quarantine at Werribee.
Respected veterinarian Dr Ben Mason from Crown Equine, who has extensive experience working with English, Japanese and Godolphin-trained horses contesting the Melbourne Cup, welcomed the imposed diagnostic measures.
“No stone has been left unturned with these new screening measures for international raiders. These practices have been in place in the past in a certain way, this is not a new concept, it’s just an elevated high definition screening which we haven’t had as mandated in the past.
“It’s a great initiative and hopefully the international audience will look at it in a positive way to prevent fracture breakdown and prevent the racing public from getting disheartened by the industry.
“This is something that has to happen because we can’t afford to have another catastrophic injury. I think going forward it’s going to be a case of whether the internationals want to go through the screening measures or not,” said Dr Mason.
Another major outcome from the report was the decision to reduce the number of international horses permitted at the Werribee International Quarantine Centre for the spring carnival.
It will now be capped at 24 – down from 42 in 2018 and 29 last year – and those horses will only be allowed one lead-up run in Australia prior to the Melbourne Cup.
Those restrictions, along with the costly veterinary requirements owners must now meet and the economic impact of Covid and Brexit, are likely to have a severe impact on the level of participation of northern hemisphere-trained horses in future Melbourne Cups, according to Henderson.
“There won’t be 24 (international) horses. There’s a bigger concern and that is will they get enough horses to get a plane to bring these horses out?
“The agenda today was to focus on vet issues and they are very welcome and addressed some of the Anthony Van Dyck issues, but not the other logistics associated with getting these horses out here.
“There is a hell of a lot more to go on than what’s in this report.”
In recent years the Melbourne Cup has become heavily internationalised, but yesterday’s series of announcements will inevitably spark a reduction in the number of foreign raiders that take part in future.
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing. We have seen NSW enjoy the benefits of having only two international raiders during The Championships and I’m sure they have got as much press and exposure up there.
“Addeybb (last Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner) is a quality horse and made the front page of the Racing Post back in England,” said Henderson.
A number of changes and improvements will be made to facilities at the Werribee International Quarantine Centre, including a requirement that the grass track must at all times be presented at a soft 5 rating and the depth of the profile of the sand-fibre track will be increased by 33 per cent.
The winning post at Werribee will also be moved back 100 metres so that international horses in training there don’t have to encounter the crossing at such high speeds as they wind down after gallops on the course proper.
Henderson questioned whether the extent of those changes was necessary.
“I think Werribee is a very good facility. The question really is, do Racing Victoria have to bend over backwards to accommodate the training practices of those coming in and using it?
“Certain trainers have no issue at all and others clearly have big issues. I don’t see it being an issue at all, they do a great job there.”
Jamie Lovett, a director of Australian Bloodstock who won the Melbourne Cup with German-trained stayer Protectionist (Monsun) in 2014, applauded yesterday’s recommendations by RV.
“I am fully supportive of it. I thought they did a good job, they were not reactive, they put a lot of time into it and sourced a lot of opinions. Something had to happen. Whatever the recommendations are, we would be foolish not to adopt them.”
“Lets just hope it works because at the end of the day we can’t afford to have this keep happening. If we all have to change our business practice or the way we buy, source, train, we all have to toe the line for the industry. We are at the crossroads with it, I feel,” said Lovett.
Lovett expressed wider concern over the “hardness” of racetrack surfaces in Victoria and believes that’s an issue requiring priority in future not just in relation to the Melbourne Cup but also for locally prepared horses throughout the entire season.
Five-time Melbourne Cup winning trainer Lee Freedman, who has recently returned to the Australian training ranks following a successful stint in Singapore, also supported yesterday’s outcomes.
“There had to be changes made. I think it’s a great thing they’ve done here to ensure the integrity of the race and as a sort of by-product, give the race back to the locals a little more.
“I think public interest in the race has not been the same over recent years. It’s an iconic race, but it’s our iconic race and we’ve been losing touch with it,” said Freedman.
International response critical of changes
The reaction from overseas, notably from the trainers who bring their horses to the other side of the world to contest the Melbourne Cup, has been highly critical of the changes, with the new measures representing a significant barrier to bringing horses over to Australia from Europe.
Charlie Fellowes, the trainer of three-time Melbourne Cup runner Prince Of Arran (Shirocco), said on Twitter it makes it ‘impossible’ for European trainers to bring their horses across for the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
“This report and subsequent conditions for getting a horse to run in the Melbourne Cup are a disaster for any European trainer dreaming of winning this great race,” he tweeted yesterday.
“I get that changes had to be made but this is too far and basically makes it impossible for us to come down.”
Hughie Morrison, who brought Marmelo (Duke Of Marmalade) to Australia to race in the Melbourne Cup in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but saw his horse withdrawn from the race on vets advice prior to the running of the 2019 edition, said there were plenty of questions left unanswered by this report, while confirming that he was not approached as one of the stakeholders consulted in creating the report.
“There is an element to this that the people that failed 12 months ago haven’t been held to account,” said Morrison in relation to the circumstances surrounding the death of Anthony Van Dyck in last year’s event.
“With Marmelo (in 2019), he and a couple of other horses were CT scanned 18 months ago and certain horses weren’t.
“Grace Forbes (general manager of veterinary services at Racing Victoria) has a very difficult job to do and she can’t do that job on her own, but we have to look above her as to whether the correct decisions are being made.”
Morrison made particular highlight of the use of CT scanners, a tool that was used to rule out Marmelo from the 2019 Melbourne Cup after a finding of several incomplete fractures in his cannon bones, questioning whether the impact of the procedures on horses before a race, and the strength in the availability of data to accurately interpret their findings.
“It’s going to make life much more difficult to get horses there,” he said. “My main concern is about having to do CT scans very close to a race.
“In my capacity as a trainer and in my experience with Marmelo when he had a CT scan, it takes an awful lot out of a horse having a CT scan. He lost 15 kilos going just a kilometre down the road, having a CT scan and coming back. It just means he runs flat.
“If you have it done straight after the Caulfield Cup it gives you a chance to recover, but it messes you around.
“I think there are questions as to whether there is enough data on CT scanners to make them useful as a tool to achieve what you’re looking for. Certainly the data from the scanner at Werribee 18 months ago (when Marmelo was withdrawn) wasn’t there.
“A huge amount of expert opinion was delivered to RV in relation to Marmelo’s ability to withstand a race such as the Melbourne Cup, but he wasn’t allowed to run. The best the horse had moved was the third year he went to Melbourne.
“Science is based on facts not on people’s views.”
Although critical of elements of the report, Morrison said it would not deter him from returning to Australia for the spring carnival, stating his enjoyment at the spectacle from previous years of being involved.
“It’s sad that this is what it has come to,” he continued. “The Melbourne Cup is such a fantastic international event and publicises Melbourne and Australia in such a great light, but if it becomes closed to overseas competitors the event will become smaller as a result.
“It’s such a great event, I can’t wait to come back. It shouldn’t preclude horses if people understand what they are looking at based on factual evidence.”