Tears for Red Cadeaux: Melbourne Cup's most poignant image illustrates the heart of horse racing

Michelle Payne and Stevie Payne won the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. Michelle is the first female to ride the race’s winner. Stevi has Down syndrome. Gerald Mosse's emotional display at the end of the racing is a slap in the face to the anti-racing lobby. The sport is often ignored in Australia. It is not well understood. There is misinformation about it. The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses peddles inaccurate figures. They promote sensationalist headlines. In their warped world, every person associated with racing, including the jockey, trainer and journalist, is heartless and advocating animal cruelty.

Gerald Mosse's horse died. The Melbourne Cup was already under scrutiny by a mainstream media concerned by animal welfare issues. In 2013, Aga Khan's Verema broke down and died, Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti collapsed and later died in the tie-up stalls post-race. Last year, Araldo was spooked by an Australian flag and suffered a freak injury. Protesters tried to stop the race by taking to the track and trying to chain themselves to a fence near the winning post. Red Cadeaux got to his feet and walked onto the horse ambulance.