Virtual: Nup to the Cup

The Melbourne Cup is known as the 'race that stops a nation', but it should really be known as the industry that shames a nation.

While the industry claims the horses are treated like royalty, we know this is not true. They are confined and often isolated, raced in the heat, are subjected to uncomfortable bits and tongue-ties, painful whips and spurs - all an attempt to make them run faster. Thousands suffer from injuries, like bleeding lungs and muscle soreness, while others are killed for breaking a leg. After a short career, they are discarded, with many ending up in knackeries and slaughterhouses.