Extra safety measures for Flemington

Victorian racing officials will introduce measures to prevent the post-race incident which led to the injury and subsequent death of Araldo.

The Mike Moroney-trained horse was spooked by a flag being waved by a member of the public after Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup and broke his leg when he kicked out at a fence.

A meeting between stewards and the Victorian Jockeys Association on Wednesday also resolved to restrict the size of flags that can be brought to a racecourse.

After the remaining Group One races of the spring carnival, horses will come back into the mounting yard through the clock tower gate.

Traditionally, a Group One winner is walked by the winning owners down the pathway to the mounting yard with other runners walking closely behind.

“Racing Victoria, the VRC and VJA met today and determined that this will minimise congestion on the pathway behind the Group One winner and avoid instances where the horses come to a standstill,” chief steward Terry Bailey said.

“The incident involving Araldo was a freak accident and something that we have not seen previously. However, we have taken these interim measures for the remainder of the Carnival and will discuss the long-term procedures with the VRC following its completion.”

Flags will be restricted to 1m x 1m and banned from the immediate vicinity of horse movement areas with extra security in place.

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