Critics of Caulfield Cup fall coverage have it wrong
The tragic Caulfield Cup fall left a sad and sombre mood late on Saturday, closing what had been a fantastic Caulfield Carnival.
Leading into the Cup itself, the joint was pumping with more than 30,000 people on course. The Everest, despite being run nearly 900km away, gave the day another jolt to the atmosphere with Tempted’s heroics.
The tragedy of the fall involving Ohope Wins and Half Yours, however, reminded the sport – and those who hate it – of the volatile nature of racing.
The incident has opened several fierce debates about how the tragedy was covered across sections of the media, especially on broadcast.
Any criticism of the coverage of the fall [which being on course, I did not watch] needs to be balanced against the incredible complexities faced by those covering the incident on Saturday.
Any suggestion there was some kind of conspiracy to hide, soften or ignore the tragedy is bullshit, to put it nicely.
Insight into how the tragedy unfolded might help.
Immediately following the fall, there were fears that it wasn’t Ohope Wins that fell, but Treasurethe Moment, given the silks.
That was obviously wrong. It was also suggested by one official that Half Yours – despite getting to his feet – was in fact lame and seriously injured as he ran past the post without his jockey Mark Zahra and the gelding’s immediate health was in doubt.
Thankfully, that too was incorrect.
The conditions of the jockeys were unknown for some time. There were fears that one rider may have suffered a serious injury.
What are reporters and hosts of broadcasts supposed to say in the immediate aftermath?
Many of the riders’ families were watching the broadcasts, they, too, eagerly awaiting updates.
Any criticism of the speed at which information was made public needs to be countered with the need to be right. Always.
What if the information was immediately reported – even if it was confirmed by those with knowledge, as happened on Saturday – but was later revealed to be wrong?
One reporter did that a few years ago, with significant consequences for the sport.
Finally, we noticed feedback surrounding the television networks’ lack of critique of what led to the fall.
We had some very experienced racing folk – who can read racing better than most – privately lay the potential blame at two different jockeys. Some of the abuse hurled on social media was obnoxious.
Stewards eventually cleared all involved, apparently the overhead vision was key in determining the incident a racing incident.
No one loves debate, critique and opinions more than us here at Betsy.
But when it comes to the health of participants and general professionalism, the need for speed in reporting unverified details is risky and, thankfully, many on Saturday knew better.
The Age defends Caulfield Cup coverage
The Age, home to some of Australia’s most important journalism, has faced criticism for some of its coverage of the fall on Saturday.
Most of the angst centres around the publication’s decision to publish a confronting image – including on social media – showing Ohope Wins lying critically injured on the Caulfield track.
Behind her was Half Yours’ jockey Mark Zahra, in significant pain.
To many, the publication of the image was unnecessary and upsetting. Critics of the sport will argue its in the public interest – but would an image of a critically injured athlete get run?
Either way, it was confronting and made for uncomfortable viewing. The Daily Mail also published the image.
Others who understood running the picture in the immediate aftermath given its news value have expressed disappointment the image keeps getting a run during the week.
The image was run online several times between Sunday and Tuesday, plus on the back page of the newspaper itself on Monday and on social media. The Age’s X account has more than 900,000 followers.
When asked why The Age decided to publish the image, editor Patrick Elligett said his newsroom must “report that news without fear or favour”.
“The death of a horse during the Caulfield Cup is a newsworthy event. Our role is to report that news without fear or favour, through words and pictures. Our responsibility doesn’t change if the news is uncomfortable or inconvenient for a particular group,” he told Betsy.
The Age, Betsy understands, strongly reject any assertion the publication should be regarded as anti-racing, saying they recognise the importance of racing in Victoria and allocate resources accordingly. Others who monitor the coverage say in their view, the negative stories outweigh the positive.
There was also significant angst post the Cup after The Age questioned whether the Caulfield track played a part in the fall, particularly given the criticism of the surface throughout 2026.
To say the Melbourne Racing Club was livid at the track suggestion is an understatement, after stewards declared the track safe following the fall.
Many within Racing Victoria were equally upset about the use of the image and the general reporting of the saga.
The Age produces some incredible and important public interest journalism – and regardless of how time judges its immediate coverage of Saturday – racing as a whole is better for its involvement.
Not racing’s ABC
Finally, it will come as no surprise that the ABC finally engaged with racing on Saturday. We’ll let you guess which news angle might have caught their attention…
Flemington looks picture perfect as boardroom tensions simmer
On and off the track, the Victoria Racing Club is perfectly poised for a big spring carnival. The track looks immaculate, the birdcage is nearly complete, the big music acts are booked and the week of racing looks elite – even Autumn Glow is firming to start on Champions Day.
But as we wrote last week, the VRC finds itself in the unusual position where its ugly political battles will likely be played out in public.
Veteran chairman Neil Wilson, as we’ve reported, will leave his position before attempting to hand over to fellow board member Vin Cox. Cox himself is up for election in December too.
While the club may have had the best intentions for a smooth handover, it now risks turning ugly.
Many of the key players found themselves in the Melbourne Racing Club’s committee room on Saturday, including the VRC’s deputy chairman Michael Ramsden, who is not happy he missed the top job.
We’re told everyone was polite and cordial on Saturday. Some on Epsom Road aren’t convinced that some in the room won’t get involved come election time.
Some there on the day don’t believe it’ll stay friendly – and nor should they. Plotters are already planning tickets and revenge. Whether their best-laid plans come off is another thing.
Again, as we wrote last week, your humble columnist is a VRC member with zero interest in who runs the joint.
Nominations for the board need to be in by November 4 – meaning there are two big Flemington race days where many of Melbourne’s elite will be aware of who is running for the board, who is backing who and all will need to politely nod to each other in committee rooms while potentially plotting their downfall.
Even some of Melbourne’s society set with no real connection to the club are having their say.
Only in Melbourne.
Purton’s unfair whack
Social media lit up on Saturday after Ka Ying Rising’s jockey Zac Purton gave a short answer post The Everest on how the race played out.
Purton, like every losing jockey, is asked for their verdict as they return to scales.
“He ran well. Good effort,’’ he told Sky Racing.
Short on detail sure, but the fact is that Ka Ying Rising’s trainer David Hayes and Purton himself were incredibly generous with their time in the lead up to the spring classic.
Hayes did countless interviews, answering the same questions over and over. Purton too.
Even post-race, Hayes fronted up to congratulate Tempted and Ciaron Maher before saying he’d like another crack at The Everest in 2027
While we rightly demand access to our stars, we must remember too that they are human – Purton had just lost on the biggest stage with the world’s best sprinter. We’ve seen some riders breeze straight past waiting media they are so upset.
And then to Purton’s credit, he fronted up to do more media post the race to discuss what went wrong. His interview on SEN Track on Monday was detailed and gracious.
Credit to both Hayes and Purton, the drove terrific engagement in a race that goes around the world.
“Do you come back for a third year?”
“I think so” 👀Hear from David Hayes after Ka Ying Rising finished 2nd in The Everest 👇 https://t.co/SsyR0uImy9
— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) October 17, 2026
Waller’s favourite Cox Plate
When you’ve won an incredible six Cox Plates, as master trainer Chris Waller has done, how would you pick your favourite?
No easy task considering the superstars involved are Winx and Via Sistina.
But Waller said it was the one that changed his life that sticks out.
‘’Probably Winx’s’ first one,’’ he said.
‘’At that stage, there was no pressure on Winx. She became a household name and sort of expected to win Cox Plates, and there was always that much pressure. But that first one Winx was unknown, so were myself and Hugh [Bowman] to some extent, and we just had a ball. It was an amazing victory.’’
No interstate rivalry for track managers
Betsy’s Chris Roots suggested Randwick has the country’s best track after how it raced for The Everest post more than 100mm of rain.
So we thought we’d ask the Victoria Racing Club’s track manager Liam O’Keeffe for his view considering the incredible surface he maintains.
”It played great, and the team up there have been working hard to improve the drainage, and that was obvious on Saturday,” he said.
”There’s no rivalry. We all get along really well, and it’s great to see them get through days like that. They had a dry 48 hours leading in the meeting, which did give the track an opportunity to improve.
”It’s just great to see good tracks racing well.”
Joining forces
Which blue bloods are looking at joining a big Melbourne Club?
And finally, this is brilliant
Thanks to Rochelle Adams for alerting me to this exceptionally named filly 😂
@SMBloodstock 👌🏼 https://t.co/fgrJ7AjkFg
— Olivia (@OKThenOlivia) October 21, 2026
