Behind the partying of major race days is a legacy of animal cruelty.įive-year-old gelding Rostropovich, who fractured his pelvis at the 2019 Melbourne Cup. Many ex-racehorses are killed in slaughterhouses in Australia. In fact, his entire future on the planet is uncertain. He is said to be stable, but I would imagine his future in racing is uncertain. One horse named Rostropovich sustained a stress fracture to his pelvis at the 2019 Melbourne Cup and is now lame. Horse racing is a 9 billion dollar industry in Australia, and given high status.
The total prize pool for the Melbourne Cup 2019 was A$8,000,000. Racehorses are valued primarily for the money they can bring in on race day.
