High-profile Hong Kong owner Ronald Arculli was left shattered when his globetrotting nine-year-old stayer Red Cadeaux suffered a fetlock injury and failed to finish the Melbourne Cup.
“The vets have him and they’re taking him to Werribee and we don’t know what the situation is but it’s not looking good,” said Arculli moments after jockey Gerald Mosse had pulled Red Cadeaux up to a stop at the 200m mark of the great race.
A Racing Victoria statement later said: “The horse sustained a fracture to his medial sesamoid in his left fore fetlock.
“The horse is comfortable [after surgery] with his leg in a splint and the fracture is stable … the horse will not race again.”
Red Cadeaux won hearts the world over in the last four years as he competed and performed at the highest level globally but the gelding’s name had become synonymous with the Melbourne Cup after three runner-up finishes in four previous attempts.
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He never really threatened to be in the finish this time after racing in the back half of the field but Mosse knew something was wrong when Red Cadeaux failed to go with the horses around him in the early part of the straight and the big gelding’s racing career was over.
Red Cadeaux was loaded on to a float to Werribee Veterinary Clinic to undergo immediate surgery in an effort to save him for a well-earned retirement.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
