The ugly footage of Melbourne Cup champion Half Yours has been explained.
The five-year-old gelding was inspected by Racing Victoria vets after the horse was seen bleeding from its mouth after the race.
Footage of the blood in Half Yours’ mouth was a distasteful look in the eyes of some spectators, but Racing Victoria Stewards have confirmed the horse did not require any medical attention.
Stewards said: “Post race examination by the raceday veterinary team found that Half Yours had sustained a minor laceration to the inside of its left cheek.
“The horse is fine and no veterinary treatment was required.”
Casual viewers have taken to social media to share their shock at the scenes of Half Yours being paraded around the Flemington racecourse, despite appearing to have a bloody mouth.
Viewers could notice the red marks around Half Yours’ mouth the moment star jockey Jamie Melham piloted the horse past the post.
The blood was impossible to miss as the Calvin McEvoy-trained runner pulled up alongside Billy Slater’s horse so that the NRL legend could conduct a post-race interview with Melham, who is now Australia’s second female jockey to win the great race.
The mighty Victorian-bred horse continued to show red marks around its mouth during the pandemonium that followed Melham’s historic Cup win.
It appeared Channel 9 broadcast producers did their best to cut views of the horse’s mouth during the live broadcast.
Racing cult figure Francesca Cumani did inform viewers later in the broadcast that the red marks on Half Yours — and the mouth of the horse Slater was riding on — was the result of minor lacerations.
Despite, Half Yours being given the all clear, viewers reacted angrily on social media.
One X user posted: “Half Yours bleeding from the mouth and they say horse racing isn’t animal cruelty. My arse it isn’t”.
One X user posted: “Why is Half Yours, winner of the Melbourne Cup, bleeding from the mouth? Commentators ignoring it and no camera footage”.
One X user called it “disgusting”.
Former Aussie jockey Blake Spriggs, who retired this year, hit back at those criticising the treatment of the Melbourne Cup winner.
“All of the lefties complaining about the blood in the Half Yours’ mouth would see more blood in a kids mouth if they gave them a Zooper Dooper,” he wrote on X.
“Vets concluded no treatment needed.”
The bigger concern for vets was the condition of Buckaroo.
The Chris Waller-trained Buckaroo is OK after the gelding was eased up by his rider at the 300 metre mark of the Melbourne Cup.
Buckaroo finished a lengthy last in the race that stops the nation after jockey Craig Williams stopped riding the horse and took care of him over the concluding stages of the race.
Racing Victoria Stewards provided an update after the race.
“Buckaroo pulls up with exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Not ideal but glad that he will be OK,” veteran racing commentator Andrew Hawkins posted on X.
Melham was full of admiration for Half Yours when speaking after the race.
“Me and (husband) Ben (Melham) ran through the race 10-20 times last night, where I wanted to be in the race and that was exactly where I wanted to be,” Melham said.
“I wanted the first wave to go and it did, and we cut the corner and we couldn’t script it any better but you need the horse underneath you to do that for you.
“The gaps were small and the horse didn’t for a second hesitate that’s the sort of horse you want in these races.
“I said last week, he’s the perfect horse to ride in the Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup and he gave me just the perfect ride and pulled up like an old pony.
“I gave him a big cuddle and he just loved it, he’s got the best attitude.
“This feeling you cannot describe, I dreamt about it, but nothing prepares you for this feeling, insane, insane feeling, thank you Calvin and Tony for putting me on this beautiful animal.
“It’s all the horse, what an absolute tough, legend of a horse.”
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