The annual DeathWatch Report by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) reveals that the home state of the upcoming Melbourne Cup, Victoria, was responsible for 30 percent of the at least 160 racehorses who were killed from racing across the country in the 2025/26 Australian racing season.
At least 48 racehorses were killed from racing-related incidents in Victoria in the 2025/26 racing season. That makes Victoria the deadliest racing state in the country.
The state with the second highest death toll, with 41 confirmed deaths, was New South Wales, which races approximately a thousand more horses and runs around a thousand more races than Victoria.
‘This is the first year since CPR started monitoring the annual death toll that Victoria has killed more racehorses than the biggest racing state in the country. On average a horse was killed every week in Victoria,’ said Elio Celotto, Campaign Director for CPR.
‘That is not a good look for the home state of the Melbourne Cup, who claim to treat their horses like kings and queens.
‘Just in the last two months, at least 12 racehorses have been killed from racing related injuries in Victoria alone, including 4yo Ohope Wins at the Caulfield Cup last Saturday,’ Mr Celotto said.
Key findings
- At least 160 thoroughbred horses were killed from racing. Statistically, one horse was killed every 2.2 days during the racing year 2025/26 in Australia.
- 65 percent of the horses died before they were likely to have reached full skeletal maturity.
- Nearly 70 percent of the horses who were killed from racing had started on the racetrack at just two years of age.
- At least 12 racehorses were killed as a result of neglect and starvation while under the care of licensed racing personnel.
Throughout the 2025/26 racing season in Australia, CPR monitored Stewards Reports from every state to collect evidence of the annual death toll of racehorses.
CPR says there’s no publicly available information about the many additional racehorses who are killed behind the scenes or following injuries sustained during race trials and race training at private facilities.
Victoria remains the least transparent state
Racing Victoria Stewards reports were the least transparent about the cause of racehorse deaths on racetracks, noting nearly all deaths as an unspecified ‘serious racing injury’.
Any race video evidence of the incidents was immediately erased.
When CPR contacted trainers throughout the season to confirm details regarding racehorses who had been severely injured during racing, they were frequently told by Victorian trainers that they were ‘not at liberty to give CPR any information’.
As such, the number of Victorian racehorses who were killed following injuries sustained on the racetrack is bound to be significantly higher that what CPR was able to verify for the 2026 DeathWatch Report.
‘Taxpayers are made to subsidise horseracing whether they like it or not, and the very least the industry could do in return is to be transparent about the true cost to the animals they exploit for gambling and entertainment,’ said Mr Celotto.
Nup to the Cup
Animal friends are speaking up strongly against the cruelty of horseracing across the country this spring racing season – Victorians especially.
So far more than a dozen public Nup to the Cup events are happening in Victoria, offering people a cruelty-free alternative to attending or gambling on the races.
The official Nup to the Cup party event in Northcote, Melbourne, which last year attracted close to 2,000 people, is on again on Melbourne Cup Day 3 November 2026.
CPR is also back with its Nup to the Cup Parade replacing the traditional Melbourne Cup Parade on Monday 2 November. Animal friends will be meeting at Flinders St station at 11am to support the racehorses who are forced to risk their lives under the slogan ‘Celebrating Animals Instead of Exploiting them’.
‘While bearing witness to the devastating abuse of horses in the racing industry, it’s truly heartening to see the Nup to the Cup movement continues to grow and to be surrounded by so many fellow friends of the animals on a day like the Melbourne Cup,’ Mr Celotto said.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
