Racing world to sweat for months on Melbourne Cup vet protocol review

RACING participants around the globe will have to wait until at least March to find out whether new veterinary protocols designed to protect the Melbourne Cup will be wound back or be just as stringent next year.

Despite the welcome relief of no deaths in this year’s Cup, Racing Victoria is already warning the industry cannot afford to rest on its laurels with equine welfare.

Stiff new pre and post travel vet protocols and a new barrage of tests – imposed by Racing Victoria to stop a spate of Melbourne Cup deaths – meant Spanish Mission and Twilight Payment were the only northern hemisphere-trained raiders who competed in this year’s Cup.

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O’Brien has already warned even fewer international horses were likely next year, and he was unlikely to subject his horses to the same vet processes in 2022 if medical screening requirements were not wound back.

And several leading owners and syndicators are privately warning they will not buy overseas horses to compete in the next Melbourne spring carnival – racing them in Sydney instead – if vet protocols remain.

Racing Victoria said it was committed to its sweeping annual review of the spring carnival, including the impact of the vetting changes.

The results and any potential impacts for next year are not expected to be known for more than four months.

“While it was pleasing that there were no significant injuries during the running of this year’s Melbourne Cup, RV remains mindful that it was one edition only and that the industry cannot afford to rest on its laurels when it comes to safety and equine welfare,” an RV spokesman told Racenet. “While the RV Board is yet to establish a timeline for completion of the annual review, it is not currently expected that any determinations will be made on the 2022 Spring Racing Carnival prior to late in the first quarter of next year.”

Racing authorities can potentially point to this year’s Cup as a major win for the new protocols.

However, there was major controversy with connections of Gold Trip furious their horse had to be withdrawn from the Cox Plate after vets refused to let it start despite passing an earlier battery of checks.