Melbourne Cup This was posted by a friend who owns, breeds, and races horses in Australia. 'Racing authorities have launched an investigation after learning that an Asian crime syndicate is attempting to infiltrate Australian racing, reports heraldsun.com.au.

Once again a horse has suffered serious injury and been euthanised as the Melbourne Cup is marred by the loss of Anthony Van Dyck.

• 1983 VRC Melbourne Cup Kiwi ( E A Lupton / J A Cassidy ) 01/11/83From This Fabulous Century video Seehttp://millersguide.com/1983-melbourne-cup/.
• Horse Racing Melbourne Cup. 66 likes 1 talking about this.
• The Caulfield Cup: This winner in most cases goes on to race in the Melbourne Cup, but given only 11 horses in the history of both races have claimed the Caulfield/Melbourne Cup double, the past suggests it is extremely hard to win both races in any given year. In what would loom as a shock to many, in the period between 2010 and 2017, only one.

This year’s race was rocked by tragedy.Source:Supplied

Anthony Van Dyck has been euthanised after breaking down in the Melbourne Cup.

The horse was one of the favourites heading into the race that stops the nation but went lame on the straight, suffering a fractured fetlock.

Jockey Hugh Bowman immediately dismounted and Anthony Van Dyck’s strapper ran out onto the track to be with him as staff erected screens to shield the five-year-old from view.

The horse was loaded into an ambulance before being put down.

Anthony Van Dyck is the second horse in three years to die because of an injury sustained in the Melbourne Cup after Cliffsofmoher was euthanised in 2018. Both horses were trained by the same trainer, Aidan O’Brien.

Racing Victoria’s (RV) Executive General Manager of Integrity Services, Jamie Stier, confirmed Anthony Van Dyck’s death in a statement after the race.

“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,” Stier said.

“The horse received immediate veterinary care, however he was unable to be saved due to the nature of the injury sustained.

“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.”

Stier explained a report will now be prepared by RV's Integrity Services team.

“The report will include the findings of a post-mortem which will now be conducted by the University of Melbourne Veterinary Clinic and we expect it will be several weeks before we have a completed report for consideration,” he said.

The Victorian Racing Club released a statement offering its condolences to Anthony Van Dyck’s connections.

“We would like to thank the track and veterinary staff for their prompt and humane care of the horse,” the VRC said.

“The club remains totally committed to the welfare of all equine athletes and the ongoing focus on their wellbeing and will continue to work with the industry to understand the cause of this incident.”

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Jockey Hugh Bowman knew right away something was wrong.Source:News Corp Australia

Anthony Van Dyck is the seventh horse to die on Melbourne Cup day since 2013 and there has been a huge social media push against this year’s race, with the hashtag #NupToTheCup quickly trending.

Two years ago the Cup was rocked by the death of Cliffsofmoher — who was euthanised in front of the grandstand crowd after the horse broke its shoulder.

That followed these deaths in Melbourne Cup day races:

In 2013, Verema was euthanised after snapping a bone in her leg.

In 2014, Admire Rakti collapsed and died in his stall after a race and Araldo broke a leg and was euthanised.

In 2015, Red Cadeaux broke his left foreleg, was rushed to the vet for surgery and was euthanised some days later.

In 2016, Regal Monarch died after a dramatic mid-race fall.

Anthony Van Dyck pulled up as the pack headed down the home straight.Source:Supplied

Twilight Payment won this year’s Melbourne Cup, followed by Tiger Moth (second), Prince Of Arran (third) and The Chosen One (fourth).

Anthony Van Dyck was the favourite for much of Sunday evening and Monday morning before pushing out from $8 to $10 on race day. He was in good form heading into the Melbourne Cup, finishing second in this year’s Caulfield Cup.

Punters flocked to Tiger Moth as the fancied Irish Raider entered the race as the clear favourite, but he couldn’t haul in Twilight Payment at the end.

Twilight Payment was a big mover in the betting market, shortening from $41 to $21 before settling at $26, making those who backed him extremely happy.

Anthony Van Dyck is the second of Aidan O’Brien’s Melbourne Cup horses to be put down in three years.Source:Getty Images

Australians are expected to sink over $300 million into the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, but what does the horse you have bet on say about you?

ESPN horse racing expert* Mike Wise has run the numbers, read the tea leaves and had a chat to a mate that swears blind that he partied with Tom Waterhouse on Hamilton Island once.

Forget the form guide. Below is the true insight into the 2019 Melbourne Cup field.

*Not a real expert.

Melbourne Cup Horses List

1. CROSS COUNTER

Number one. You got one horse into the form guide and decided that dedicating too much thought to this was a waste of time. Cross Counter will be popular with people who like fries, margarita pizzas, Coca-Cola and other first-on-the-menu items.

2. MER DE GLACE

Congratulations, you've picked the bookies' favourite. You're probably also a Patriots fan.

3. MASTER OF REALITY

Don't be fooled by the name -- this is the fantasists pick. Why? This is Melbourne Cup number 17 for jockey Frankie Dettori, who is yet to ride a winner.

4. MIRAGE DANCER

Mirage Dancer's third-place finish in the Caulfield Cup had a distinct 'bronze is better than silver' vibe to it. Mediocrity, maybe a place, is this horse's destiny.

5. SOUTHERN FRANCE

Voted by its peers as 'the horse most likely to be scratched,' Southern France is perhaps the most nondescript, anonymous horse out there. Most likely a winner then.

6. HUNTING HORN

Ah yes the mating call of Flemington. Woo girls and frat boys (YIEW!) will be sounding their hunting horns to cheer on this Aidan O'Brien-trained bolter. Stay clear unless you plan on walking home from your Melbourne Cup festivities barefoot, carrying your shoes.

7. LATROBE

The only people backing Latrobe are alums, people from MALbourne, or those keen on taking down horse number 19. More on that later.

8. MUSTAJEER

Mustajeer not wearing mustard feels like a real missed opportunity. Instead, Damien Oliver will be donning the 'lucky' horseshoe. This will bring zero luck to Mustajeer or its fans -- 15th place at best.

9. ROSTROPOVICH

The results are in ... daytime TV fans are investing heavily in Rostropovich, of the Maury Povich stable. DNA tests will be needed later to prove that Rostropovich's dad really is Frankel.

10. TWILIGHT PAYMENT

Named after the reparations owed to society for the Twilight saga movies, Twilight Payment an excellent choice for a winner -- kudos to those who have picked it. A triumph here and the debt owed to us all for Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 will be forgiven.

12. FINCHE

Exactly like his namesake, Australia's ODI cricket captain Aaron Finch, Finche is a boom or bust type horse. Those that have backed this horse can expect a duck or to be kissing the badge at the end of the race. Flip a coin.

12. PRINCE OF ARRAN

Eagle-eyed punters will have noticed that this horse ran in last year's Melbourne Cup under the name 'A Prince of Arran.' Losing a whole A should be a weight off this horse's shoulders but, then again, do horses have shoulders?

13. RAYMOND TUSK

Isn't Raymond Tusk some sort of eccentric billionaire that dabbles in philanthropy and round-the-world air balloon races? He's mad as a hatter, but that won't help him in a running race against actual horses. Our pick: dead last but enjoying every minute of it.

14. DOWNDRAFT

Melbourne Cup Line Up 2020

Kitted out in Parra colours, Downdraft clearly peaked in the early 80s -- just like anyone who fancies this horse as a winner.

15. MAGIC WAND

Those in the know say that Magic Wand will start the Melbourne Cup well before fading -- which is, of course, complete nonsense. If there's one certainty that this column can offer, it's that Magic Wand will stay completely opaque throughout the whole race.

16. NEUFBOSC

Always a fan of the underdog, thrill-seekers will have sought out the horse with the longest odds: Neufbosc. Unfortunately, this cheese-eating surrender monkey has no chance of staging an upset.

17. SOUND

Sound's name just lends itself to too many corny headlines. Stay clear unless you really, really like dad jokes.

18. SURPRISE BABY

Melbourne Cup Horses 2019 Race

Described as a 'lightly raced stayer' by most outlets, which is basically real-estate speak for a real fixer-upper. Either way, Surprise Baby is a work in progress -- a 'glad to be part of the day' type.

19. CONSTANTINOPLE

History buffs will be all over Constantinople. SMARTER history buffs will know to stay clear because the fall of Constantinople was because of the enlightenment, aka universities, aka horse No. 7. Simples.

20. IL PARADISO

This horse is likely named after a cocktail that has too much Malibu in it. Most people should stay well clear of backing Il Paradiso, unless super sweet, fake coconuts are your thing.

21. STEEL PRINCE

Savvy punters will know that despite all the 'information' in the 'form guide' this horse actually hails from Newcastle and the jockey is Joey Johns. Guaranteed to be a winner.

22. THE CHOSEN ONE

So you've picked The Chosen One as your chosen one? Could you be any more basic?

23. VOW AND DECLARE

Michael Jordan, David Beckham, LeBron James and ... Vow and Declare? Punters who backed horse 23 will be dancing like Shane Warne with a stump in his hand if this gelding gets up.

24. YOUNGSTAR

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HORSES IN THIS RACE?!? Youngstar ran sixth last year and clearly has been wheeled out again to make up the numbers. A 'roughie' is the nice way to describe it.