Chris Waller has spoken of the emotional aftermath of Ohope Wins’ death in the Caulfield Cup, saying the stable staff who cared for the Australian Oaks winner were taking the loss “one day at a time”.
Ohope Wins was put down in the home straight after falling about 300 metres from the finish of Saturday’s race. Jockey Jye McNeil was also brought to the ground, after last year’s winner Half Yours clipped heels and fell in front of them.
“They’re pretty resilient, the people that look after these horses, they obviously love them dearly, and they’re pets, just like a cat or dog,” Waller said at Flemington on Tuesday.
“So, yeah, it’s always tough when there’s a missing [horse] in the stable.”
Waller watched the Caulfield Cup from Randwick, having remained in Sydney for The Everest meeting. He said the Melbourne Racing Club, which operates Caulfield Racecourse, had offered counselling to those affected by the accident.
“I commend them for offering counselling, and they’ve been fantastic because it’s good that people really understand how much people love horses and how much goes into a horse,” he said.
“No risks are ever taken, and the first choice is to bring them home safe, regardless of where they finish. But the staff, they’re coping well.
“You just take it one day at a time, just deal with it as each day comes.”
Half Yours was able to regain his feet and gallop away, but is unlikely to race again this spring and is almost certain to miss his planned Melbourne Cup title defence. McNeil and Half Yours’ jockey, Mark Zahra, were cleared of serious injury on Sunday.
“I’ve spoken to Jye,” Waller said. “He’s improving with each day, and it’s great to see him out of hospital. He’s come out of it pretty well.”
McNeil had been booked to ride Waller’s Valiant King in Wednesday’s Geelong Cup, but the trainer has withdrawn the horse and will instead run him at Flemington in Saturday’s MV Gold Cup.
Waller was in Melbourne on Tuesday to watch his Cox Plate contenders, Aeliana and Birdman, complete an early-morning workout at Flemington. He said both horses were in strong form ahead of Saturday’s race, which is being staged at Flemington while Moonee Valley undergoes renovations.
“Both horses are in great form,” Waller said. “They’re genuine group 1 horses. Aeliana’s ready to peak after a good semi-final run last start, and Birdman the same.”
