Racehorse Ohope Wins has been euthanased following a nasty fall at the Caulfield Cup.
Kingswood won the $6million Caulfield Cup in a dramatic edition of the world’s richest 2,400m turf handicap on Saturday.
Trained by Gavin Bedggood and with John Allen in the saddle, Kingswood beat Saint George in a thrilling finish to the 150th edition of the race.
Third home was Enfjaar, with pre-race favourite Cosmic Crusader fourth.
Ohope Wins tumbled after being brought down at the 250m mark by Half Yours, the champion of last year’s Caulfield and Melbourne cups.
Racing Victoria vets revealed Ohope Wins, trained by Chris Waller, was put down on the track.
Half Yours was brought back to his feet and returned to the mounting yard.
The jockeys of both horses, Mark Zahra (Half Yours) and Jye McNeil (Ohope Wins), were not injured and taken to hospital for observation.
Ohope Wins tumbled after being brought down at the 250m mark by Half Yours, the champion of the Caulfield and Melbourne cups last year
Racing Victoria vets revealed Ohope Wins, trained by Chris Waller, was put down on the track
Trainer Tony McEvoy said Half Yours appeared to have some abrasions, but was okay overall.
‘That was terrible to watch,’ he said.
‘The horse, he’s got a couple of lacerations, he seems bright, he seems composed in himself.
‘He’s got a laceration under his arm, he’s got a laceration on a hind leg. They look superficial.’
Kingswood was the widest runner into the straight but avoided the falls and surged home.
The seven-year-old grey took the lead from Enfjaar with 100m left to run and won by half-a-length from Ciaron Maher-trained Saint George.
Enfjaar, one of three UK raiders in the field, held on for third and pre-race favourite Cosmic Crusader was fourth.
It was a first triumph as a trainer in a major for Bedggood, who paid tribute to his family and staff.
The jockeys of both horses, Mark Zahra (Half Yours) and Jye McNeil (Ohope Wins), were not injured and taken to hospital for observation
‘I”m just rapt for my team at home. They all turn up every day and they work really hard,’ Bedggood said.
‘I’m a hard task master. I’m anal and like things done a particular way.
‘They put up with me and I don’t get the results that I’m getting without good people behind me.’
Kingswood overcame a wide draw in barrier 17 to complete the upset, paying $26 on the TAB.
‘We were pretty much posted three-wide all the way and everyone wanted to question the horse’s credentials at a mile-and-a-half,’ Bedggood said.
‘We couldn’t condemn him on his (previous) run here. It was on a heavy nine and you had to put a line through it.
‘It’s great to be vindicated.’
Ballarat-based Irish jockey John Allen timed his run on Kingswood to perfection, adding the triumph to his 2021 Cox Plate win aboard State Of Rest.
