Racehorse Anthony Van Dyck has been euthanised after suffering an injury while running in this year's Melbourne Cup.
The Irish stallion, ridden by jockey Hugh Bowman, sustained a fractured fetlock on the final bend of the race and had to be "humanely" put down, Racing Victoria's head of integrity Jamie Stier confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
"It is with sadness that we confirm that Anthony Van Dyck had to be humanely euthanised after sustaining a fractured fetlock during the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington," Mr Stier said in a statement.
He said the horse received immediate veterinary care, but was unable to be saved due to the nature of its injury. Mr Bowman was uninjured in the incident.
Hugh Bowman speaks to the media after riding Anthony Van Dyck in trackwork at Werribee Racecourse on 2 November. Source: Racing Photos via Getty Images
"Our sympathies are extended to the owners of Anthony Van Dyck, trainer Aidan O'Brien and all his staff, who cared for the horse and are greatly saddened by their loss," Mr Stier said.
Anthony Van Dyck is the seventh horse to die in the Melbourne Cup since 2013, according to animal rights groups such as Animals Australia.
"His final moments would have been so painful and terrifying," the group wrote in a tweet.
"No animal deserves to suffer like this for gambling money. RIP Anthony Van Dyck."
Emily Rice, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said Anthony Van Dyck was a victim of "the disgrace that stops the nation".
"The reality of the abusive racing industry is that horses are made to run to the detriment of their health," she said.
"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."
NSW Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said the horse's death represented "the brutal reality of horse racing".
"Anthony Van Dyck's death is a tragic but hardly foreseeable outcome," she said in a statement.
"Horse racing is deadly and completely inhumane. We need to shut this industry down."
The 2019 English Derby winner, Anthony Van Dyck was rated one of the best horses to be sent to Australia for the spring campaign.
The Racing Victoria Integrity Services team will prepare a fatality report to determine what happened.
"The fatality report gives consideration to the circumstances of the incident and any potential learnings to assist in the prevention of similar injuries in the future," Mr Stier said.
The Victoria Racing Club also extended its condolences to the horse's owners, trainer and his team, and said it was "saddened by their loss".
This year's Melbourne Cup was run against a backdrop of silence, as attendees were restricted to trainers, jockeys and key personnel due to Melbourne's COVID-19 restrictions.
Racehorse Twilight Payment won the race, giving owner Lloyd Williams his seventh Melbourne Cup, and trainer Joseph O'Brien his second.
