By BRIDGET COOK
THE death of a horse during a jumps racing trial at Cranbourne last week has again ignited calls from animal activists for the end to the sport.
However the State Government has hit back saying it believes the industry has a strong future in this state.
Jumps horse Shot Of Glory fell while trialling at Cranbourne on Wednesday 25 June, suffering a shoulder injury and was subsequently put down.
The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses has come out and slammed the Napthine Government for its continued support of jumps racing, labelling it ‘legalised cruelty’.
Communications manager Ward Young said the animal was the fifth victim of jumps racing this year and it planned to use the November election to bring an end to the sport.
“It is totally unacceptable that in 2014 we are still allowing such public cruelty in jumps racing to continue, when most other states have banned it,” he said.
“It is legalised cruelty.”
“With the state election approaching, we will be targeting marginal electorates to make them aware that the Napthine Government has thrown its public support behind jumps racing and added to the carnage of this sport.
“Australia’s version of bullfighting – that is jumps racing – must be outlawed as it has been in NSW since 1997.
“There have been too many victims and too many excuses.”
A State Government spokesperson said the government believed the sport had a strong future in the state.
“Any injury to a jockey or a horse is a tragedy and we support the measures taken by Racing Victoria to significantly improve safety outcomes for all participants over the last three-and-a-half years,” the spokesperson said.
“With these continuing improvements, and the bi-partisan support for jumps racing in Victoria, we are confident that this important industry will continue to grow and has a strong future in this state.”
Cranbourne Racing Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge said the incident was reviewed by the Racing Victoria Jumps Review Panel which reviews all incidents.
“The club continues to work with Racing Victoria regarding jumps racing and trialling at the Cranbourne Training Complex,” he said.
“Jumps racing plays a significant role in the local racing industry and we will continue to work with participants and Racing Victoria regarding the sport.”
