Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows when Caulfield Cup hero Admire Rakti collapsed and died after Tuesday's A$6.2 million (HK$42 million) Melbourne Cup, which was won decisively by German raider Protectionist.
Japanese champion Admire Rakti, the 5-1 favourite, was prominent in the run but faded badly over the last 800 metres when Purton realised something was amiss.
"It's very sad," Purton said. "He gave me a great thrill at Caulfield and for this to happen to him is just not fair. It's terrible - one of those things you never expect.
"He went from travelling beautifully before the 800 metres to all of a sudden not going anywhere. I knew something was wrong and tried to help him as much as I could and eased him out of it.
"Obviously, I didn't realise how bad it was, but it's lucky I did ease him. If I'd kept trying to ride him he could have collapsed in the race and anything could have happened in a big field like that."
In a bizarre post-race incident, seventh-placed Araldo also emerged with a serious injury, smashing a cannon bone when he was frightened by a child in the crowd waving a flag and the horse kicked out into a steel fence post. It was later confirmed he was put down.
Last year, French horse Verema was put down after snapping a bone in its lower leg.
Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey said vets reacted quickly when it was apparent Admire Rakti, a seven-year-old stallion, was unwell. "Straight away on its performance, which is normal procedure, especially the favourite, is for it to be vetted anyway," Bailey said.
"We were certainly on to it and unfortunately in the process of going back to the stalls and getting hosed down and going to the swab box the horse passed away.
"The horse will undergo an autopsy. We will have to await those results for the cause of the death."
Admire Rakti's death shocked a 100,000-strong crowd at Flemington following Protectionist's outstanding victory to become the sixth internationally trained winner of Australia's most famous race. The five-year-old stallion trounced his rivals by four lengths in the 154th running of the 3,200-metre race.
Protectionist (7-1), trained by Andreas Wohler and beautifully ridden by English jockey Ryan Moore, beat England's Red Cadeaux (20-1), with New Zealand's Who Shot Thebarman (20-1) another half-length away in third.
"We've had great success all over the world, but that's the biggest of all," said Wohler. "When he came round the last bend, I knew he just needed to have the right gap and he found it and he quickened so well. Ryan is a superstar. It's a big achievement from our team."
Protectionist's success was the third for a European horse in the past five years after Americain (2010) and Dunaden (2011) and will not ease concerns among local trainers about "foreign" raids on Australia's top silverware.
Red Cadeaux, owned by former Hong Kong Jockey Club chairman Ronald Arculli and ridden by Gerald Mosse, was second for the third time after being runner-up in 2011 and 2013.
"He was his usual toughness. He tried so hard, gave everything and I was very proud of him," Mosse said. "I thought when turning he might win, but the winner was too strong. He never stopped trying - great horse."
Red Cadeaux's trainer, Ed Dunlop, spoke of the immense pride after his ageless eight-year-old added to his legend. "I could have retired him today if he had not run well, but look what he did ... again," Dunlop said.
Well-supported Signoff finished fourth, with jockey Joao Moreira saying: "A fantastic run. Just before the home turn I had a horse on my inside that gave me a bump and because of that I got a little bit wide. He tried very hard and I was very proud of him."
Additional reporting by Reuters
