Day 4 of my NaNoWriMo 30-Day Challenge. You Bet, they die

Well, today I had planned to write about another Sean Connery movie. But after yesterday’s events in Australia, I feel compelled to write about that today instead.

Melbourne cup horse racing 2020

Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

First, run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup was a cup in name only, with prizes including a gold watch and cash purse. The first official trophy cup was awarded in 1865.

Each year traditionally on the 1st Tuesday in November, millions gather to bet on horses. People dress up, drink alcohol, and essentially watch horses being whipped and run beyond their limits often resulting in the horse needing to be euthanized due to injury of usually broken legs.

I got up yesterday morning feeling sick in my stomach knowing at least one horse was going to have to be euthanized. And I was right, a four-year-old horse sadly had to be put out of its misery due to injury.

As you can probably tell by now, I don’t like horse racing or any other race involving an animal for that matter. Riders get a choice in entering, the horse doesn’t and often ends up paying with its life. It’s just another form of gambling and I despise any form of gambling.

But basically, at 3 pm on the first Tuesday of the month, everyone stops to watch it on TV for a few short minutes.