The cursed family go on an outing.

Now you know when the cursed Bugsy family go on an outing that it is going to end in disaster, so I will give my warning now - please don't read if you are not prepared for the worst.

I thought things were beginning to look up - I won first prize in a raffle at work - a double pass to the last race of the spring racing carnival - The Sandown Classic Race day - which incidently is only about 10 mins drive from my house, so lovely and close.

Hubbs has never been to a horse race, and I have only been once - with my Mum on Caulfield open day when I was about 10, so we decided to go.

Our day started off nicely. We placed a few $5 bets on the first few races, and our horses came in comfortably last - every time! Then we had a small win on the the main race - a win of $26 - whoo hoo.

Then disaster struck.

During the races, we had had fun - we watched these magnificent horses, and discussed their gait like experts. We looked at the formguide - at their age, what the experts said about them and what their odds were. I was in total awe at how beatiful these animals were that were born just to run. And how they loved to run.

In the next race, right in front of us, there was a terrible fall. The rider fell off, and the horse raced off. A second later, the horse nudged another horse and that horse fell. The rider also fell off. Both riders stood up and were fine, but the second horse didn't fare so well.

Right in front of me this horse was shaking it's head in pain. It's right front leg broken below the knee, the bone protruding. It kept trying to walk on it and failing. It was heartbreaking to see.

The officials raced onto the track and grabbed the horse, a screen went up around it, whilst I grabbed hubbs and bawled my eyes out, screaming "they can fix it - surely they can fix it".

A truck I can only describe as a "meat wagon" backed up to the horse, and the vet came onto the track. Only minutes later, the back door of the truck closed and it drove slowly off. The screen came down and everyone left the track.

I was still crying so hard that I could do nothing else except snuggle in Hubb's arms. The young drunken kids around us laughed, called out things like "seeya dog food", and totally disrespected this poor creature that just lost it's life.

Hubbs and I left immediately, as did hundred's of other racegoers. I felt terrible for being there. I felt like I was agreeing with those narrowminded owners, that instead of giving this horse a chance of life, decided it was now worthless and ended it's life.

Now I don't know anything about horses. But surely, the leg could have been mended. Yes the horse would never race again - but this is a 3 year old! Surely it deserved that chance.

I won't be returning to a race course. I don't care whether these horses love to run. I don't care that they get great care if they are winners. I have now seen the other side of it. The side that says these magnificent proud creatures are nothing more than chattel. I look at them and I see the proud animals that they are. So many others look at them and see Dollar signs $$$$.

I told Hubbs it is because we are cursed. That if we stayed home it wouldn't have happened. I wonder how true that is.

We are off now to a wine tasting. I wouldn't go now, but it was planned ages ago, and we have invited friends to join us. Perhaps a night of boozing will help to erase the memory of that poor darling horse trying to stand.