5 reasons why I won’t be watching the Melbourne Cup today
There are too many losers on Melbourne Cup Day for my liking. Loser rosette by Dear Colleen, via Etsy.
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It's Melbourne Cup Day here in Australia. Once upon a time I would have baulked at the notion of not watching the Cup. It's un-Australian, surely!? I've always loved the Melbourne Cup as a good excuse to take 20 minutes off work and gather around the telly with some mates, glass of Champagne in hand and funny hat on head. As a former magazine editor, I've attended many a corporate marquee at Flemington as the guest of a multi-national beauty company, and I've even blogged about what to wear to the races on this very site. I've fancied myself a wee flutter down at the TAB, and I've run a few good office sweeps in my time. It's all a bit of fun, isn't it? Well.... not really. I've read enough about the "dark side" of horse racing that in all good consciousness, I just can't stand by anymore and cheer it on. I don't mean to be a killjoy, and I'm certainly no vegan saint. So I don't stand here in judgement of those who love the Melbourne Cup. But here's the thing: there are some things you can't un-read or un-learn, even for the "race that stops the nation". So here are five reasons why I won't be celebrating the Melbourne Cup today: 1. Whipping horses is cruel. Flogging racehorses to the wild cheers of a crowd is abhorrent. I don't want to be one of those people anymore. And you know what? Whipping doesn't make a horse go any faster. In fact, the opposite is true, according to a study by the University of Sydney. 2. The horses are pushed to such physical extremes in training and racing that “more than 75% of racing thoroughbred horses in the racing industry suffer from bleeding in the lungs and windpipe (Exercise-induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage) due to over-exertion”. 3. Jockeys are under-paid, over-stressed and over-worked. Eating disorders and mental health issues are rife across the industry. While the Australian Trainers’ Association has finally acknowledged this worrying issue, there needs to be actual and lasting change to the inherent culture of extreme pressure and unrealistic expectations within the industry. Colin Watts, the official chaplain to Sydney's racing industry, says, “I don't know if things are getting tougher but they seem to be." "The insistence of the industry is a strain on people, the hours are long and the income is not good. I look back over the last 18 months and have encountered more and more people with depression or feeling quite despondent." 4. Having a bet on the Melbourne Cup sounds harmless enough, but for some people, gambling is an addiction and contributes to myriad social and family problems. According to the University of Sydney, "betting on horseracing comprises 14 per cent of total wagering expenditure in Australia, equating to $2.6 billion annually". Last year, Greens NSW Gaming and Racing spokesperson John Kaye said, "[w]hile many people placing a bet on the Melbourne Cup are occasional opportunistic gamblers, it would be irresponsible to gloss over the role that the Spring Racing Carnival plays in propagating a culture of gambling and its associated social harms. The Melbourne Cup plays a role in perpetuating and normalising the $95 billion that Australians spend each year on gambling. A University of Sydney study found that participation rates for race gambling are significantly higher in young people who are more vulnerable to gambling addiction. Inevitably those of us who question the ethics and practices of the horseracing industry, particularly at the time of the Melbourne Cup, are accused of being un-Australian, wowsers and the fun police. However, conflating a love of socialising, fashion and taking much-needed time out from work with some of the abhorrent industry practices fails to do justice to the problem gambling and significant horse suffering." 5. Ex-racehorses end up at the knackery and are used in dog food, unceremoniously slaughtered after being used by humans purely for entertainment and gambling purposes. So, fare thee well, Melbourne Cup. I shall miss your beautiful and abundant roses at Flemington, the fashions on the field and the giddiness of the race at 3.15pm on the first Tuesday of November. But it's time I take my leave from supporting this sinister and shady industry, until real and lasting change has been made. Tell me: what do you think? Am I missing something?
