SYDNEY (AP) " One of Australia's biggest horse races " the Sydney Cup " was abandoned at the halfway point on Saturday in dramatic and controversial scenes after two horses threw their riders and one of the horses died on the track. The 3,200-meter (2-mile) Group 1 event, worth 2 million Australian dollars ($1.5 million), attracted a field of 14 Australian and international gallopers, and shaped as one of the highlights of the autumn racing season at Sydney's Randwick racecourse. With Almoonqith lying on the track and Doyle having trouble moving away due to an injured knee, race officials decided to call a "no-race" with 1,600 meters left. Brown was later fuming over the decision to abandon the race, saying jockeys could easily have avoided the stricken horse after the finish of the race. Race officials, who were expected to reschedule the event, defended their decision.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 08, 2017 09:00 UTC