Culture

The Melbourne Cup Has Just Killed Another Horse

Anthony Van Dyck is the seventh horse killed in the Melbourne Cup in seven years.

by Patrick Lenton  3 November 2020
Anthony Van Dyck Melbourne Cup horse

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The Melbourne Cup, the race that stops the nation, has just reportedly claimed another victim.

According to The Age, the horse Anthony Van Dyck, “broke down” and was loaded into an ambulance at the track. It was later reported as being “euthanised”.

The death of Anthony Van Dyck means that this is the seventh horse killed in the Melbourne Cup in seven years. Seems inescapably cruel to murder a horse every year for our enjoyment, but I guess my stance on blood sports stands in opposition to the main sentiment of this country.

Naturally the news has angered and saddened animal rights advocates, and anti horse-racing supporters.

Following the death of Anthony Van Dyck, a spokesperson from PETA said:

“PETA is calling for an immediate investigation into the death of Anthony van Dyck, the most recent in a long line of dead horses who are victims of the disgrace that stops the nation – the Melbourne Cup – and for his veterinary records to be released. While the industry focuses on the money made from animal suffering, glossing over the bleeding lungs, broken bones, and death, the reality of the abusive racing industry is that horses are made to run to the detriment of their health. Before they’ve even finished maturing, these 500-kilogram animals – supported on ankles as small as those of humans – are pushed past their limits, forced to race at breakneck speeds to the finishing line while being whipped. It’s no surprise that in just the last racing year, 116 horses died on Australian racecourses. In 2019, PETA revealed that some 3,000 Australian horses and their offspring had been cast off by the racing industry and killed for meat in South Korea. How many more deaths will it take before we call time on this disgraceful demonstration of national senselessness?”