The annual DeathWatch Report by the Coalition for the
Protection of Racehorses (CPR) reveals that the home state
of the upcoming Melbourne Cup, Victoria, was responsible for
30 percent of the at least 160 racehorses who were
killed from racing across the country in the 2025/26
Australian racing season.
At least 48
racehorses were killed from racing-related incidents in
Victoria in the 2025/26 racing season. That makes
Victoria the deadliest racing state in the country.
The state with the second highest death toll, with 41
confirmed deaths, was New South Wales which races
approximately a thousand more horses and runs around a
thousand more races than Victoria.
“This is the
first year since CPR started monitoring the annual death
toll that Victoria has killed more racehorses than the
biggest racing state in the country. On average a horse was
killed every week in Victoria,” said Elio Celotto,
Campaign Director for CPR.
“That is not a good look
for the home state of the Melbourne Cup, who claim to treat
their horses like kings and queens.”
“And
just in the last two months, at least 12 racehorses have
been killed from racing related injuries in Victoria alone,
including 4yo Ohope Wins at the Caulfield Cup last
Saturday,” Mr Celotto said.
Other DeathWatch
2026 Key Findings:
- At least 160
thoroughbred horses were killed from racing. Statistically,
one horse was killed every 2.2 days during the racing year
2025/26 in Australia. - 65
percent of the horses died before they were likely to have
reached full skeletal
maturity. - Nearly 70 percent
of the horses who were killed from racing had started on the
racetrack at just two years of
age. - At least 12 racehorses
were killed as a result of neglect and starvation while
under the care of licensed racing
personnel.
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Throughout the 2025/26
racing season in Australia, CPR monitored Stewards Reports
from every state to collect evidence of the annual death
toll of racehorses. Unfortunately, there is no publicly
available information about the many additional racehorses
who are killed behind the scenes or following injuries
sustained during race trials and race training at private
facilities.
The 2026 DeathWatch Report
contains individual state reports, case stories and many
further details about the 2025/26 racing season in
Australia. Read
or download it here –
https://ymlps7.com/96b99wuuhataeqjmbaiawmwavamwysu/click.php
Victoria
remains the least transparent state
Racing Victoria
Stewards reports were the least transparent about the cause
of racehorse deaths on racetracks, noting nearly all deaths
as an unspecified “serious racing injury”. Any race
video evidence of the incidents was immediately
erased.
When CPR contacted trainers throughout the
season to confirm details regarding racehorses who had been
severely injured during racing, we were frequently told by
Victorian trainers that they were “not at liberty to give
CPR any information”. As such, the number of Victorian
racehorses who were killed following injuries sustained on
the racetrack is bound to be significantly higher that what
CPR was able to verify for the 2026 DeathWatch
Report.
“Victorian taxpayers are made to
subsidise horseracing whether they like it or not, and the
very least the industry could do in return is to be
transparent about the true cost to the animals they exploit
for gambling and entertainment,” said Mr
Celotto.
Strong opposition to horseracing and the
Melbourne Cup in Victoria
Animal friends are speaking
up strongly against the cruelty of horseracing across the
country this spring racing season – Victorians especially.
So far more than a dozen public Nup to the Cup events are
happening in Victoria, offering people a cruelty-free
alternative to attending or gambling on the races. The
official Nup
to the Cup party event in Northcote, Melbourne, which
last year attracted close to 2,000 people, is on again on
Melbourne Cup Day 3 November 2026.
CPR is also back
with its Nup
to the Cup Parade replacing the traditional Melbourne
Cup Parade on Monday 2 November. Animal friends will be
meeting at Flinders St station at 11am to support the
racehorses who are forced to risk their lives under the
slogan “Celebrating Animals Instead of Exploiting
them”.
“While bearing witness to the
devastating abuse of horses in the racing industry, it’s
truly heartening to see the Nup to the Cup movement
continues to grow and to be surrounded by so many fellow
friends of the animals on a day like the Melbourne Cup,”
Mr Celotto
said.
