Why all the details of the inquiry into Caulfield Cup horse death must be made public

October 18, 2026 — 4:54pm

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Blinkers On is a weekly column covering the biggest issues of the spring racing carnival.

Racing Victoria needs to be transparent this week as it digs into the reasons behind the death of horse Ohope Wins following Saturday’s $6 million Caulfield Cup.

Now more than ever, the public deserves a proper and thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the tragic mid-race tumble that resulted in Chris Waller’s talented mare being put down and two jockey’s lives being put at risk.

At stake is the sport’s social licence, especially in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup.

Good news for jockeys amid fallout from horror Caulfield Cup fall

While we all agree that the two-horse fall was an accident, and a terribly sad one at that, there is an obligation to provide transparency.

The alternative could be devastating. The Melbourne Cup was brought to its knees by public pressure in 2020, following seven horses deaths in seven years, largely due to soundness issues – which was not the case at Caulfield.

Stewards face an important task. They opened an inquiry on Saturday and it will be ongoing this week. Detailed findings of their review need to be released.

It does not help that the industry continues to erase footage of such catastrophic events from its archives – a long-standing policy to avoid viewer “distress”.

But such censorship not only airbrushes history, it removes the public’s right to form a balanced view on who or what was to blame.

Spring racing carnival

Stewards to hold inquiry into tragic Caulfield Cup fall; favourite beaten in Everest stunner

Several key factors will need to be taken into account.

Firstly, the jockeys. While Mark Zahra (Half Yours) and Jye McNeil (Ohope Wins) were the victims of the fall, thankfully escaping largely unscathed as did last year’s winner Half Yours, there was an ugly bumping duel immediately before the crash between Rachel King (Green Spaces) and Jabez Johnstone (Kings Valley).

While this column is not suggesting they caused the carnage that followed, their actions need to be assessed for the good of the sport.

Then there was the Caulfield track. With the rail out three metres and the horses racing on a fast surface, it presented a leader bias that might have contributed to tighter, messier racing.

All of this will, and should be, examined by stewards. It’s important that the public is kept informed as well.

‘Turf’ war: Dispute over Caulfield coverage

To see just how big an impact horse safety has on the industry, you need look no further than the “Turf” war that erupted over Saturday’s broadcast.

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© Brisbane Times