Melbourne Cup

I don't bet on horses but if I did it would be No 3 Fawkner

I now realise why I don't bet.

Had $3 each way on Red Cadeaux which I think is about $15 but was part of a $16 pack. The pre race favourite came last and died after the race!

$8 for Protectionist was great money

RIP for the two horses who died. One had a heart attack and another got spooked by a spectator , panicked and broke it's leg.

Sad.

I had a boxed trifecta of the horses in 2nd, 3rd & 4th...are you kidding me?!? :P

Sad enough to stop betting on horses?

No

I didn't stop working because colleagues died next to me.

An argument can of course be made that the horse isn't working, it is in fact slavery,but to be brutally honest I'll go my animal rights cred on 99.9% of the population without getting out of first gear.

Animal Rights bleeting on this is a bit off.

1 horse got freaked out by a flag waving and backed into a fence (No animal cruelty there)

The other horse was near the front of the race and then as soon as the jockey noticed it was suffering he stopped and dropped back to a walk, watch a replay and see how far behind the rest the horse finished, and the horse suffered either a heart attack or massive internal bleeding from stress. (This is known as Sudden Death Syndrome in racing horses), I can't see the cruelty argument there either. If the jockey had kept hitting the horse and pushing it after he noticed it suffering then yes, but he didn't and the horse had previously shown no signs of this.

I also wonder if horses are happy racing - much like farm dogs are happier than city dogs - horses with the right temperament might be happier training and competing than just being stuck in a paddock down the back of a farm.

Racing might be a more fulfilling life for a horse than being one that some farmers daughter used to ride before she discovered boys.

So any tips for today?

Invest your money in #SaveTheNix - it's slightly less of a gamble.

http://www.horseracingkills.com/features/racehorses-life/

picked first place for the Melbourne cup and first  place for the addington trotting cup

Your shout then.