A 177-YEAR history of jumps racing in Australia could be over, after the deaths of two more horses at a Warrnambool carnival prompted a suspension of races across the state.
A final decision on future jumps races in Victoria will be made by Racing Victoria's board next week.
But if, as appears likely, the board calls a halt to the controversial sport, jumps races are more than likely to vanish from Australia entirely.
Victoria and South Australia are the last two states to stage jumping events, and Victoria supplies South Australia with many of its horses and riders.
Without an industry in Victoria, South Australian jumps racing would almost certainly cease as well.
Yesterday's suspension was announced after seasoned jumper Clearview Bay broke his neck in a fall with only four fences left to jump in the feature 5500-metres Grand Annual Steeple race.
Clearview Bay was put down immediately.
His jockey, Tommy Logan, suffered a suspected broken collarbone and was taken to Warrnambool hospital.
Earlier in the day another horse, Hassle, was put down after he shattered a sesamoid bone on landing over a hurdle.
In all, five horses have died in jumps races or trials in Victoria this season, which is only weeks old.
At least three other horses lost their riders during the Grand Annual race, which was won by Sir Pentire.
The State Government welcomed Racing Victoria's move to suspend jumps racing.
Deputy Premier and Racing Minister Rob Hulls said the recent spate of deaths had horrified many Victorians.
"I have always maintained that the death of any horse is not an acceptable byproduct of racing and the rate of deaths so far this season is unsustainable," Mr Hulls said.
"It is incumbent upon the industry to show leadership to ensure the controversy surrounding jumps racing does not taint the entire racing industry."
On Wednesday, Pride Of Westbury died when he broke his neck at the final obstacle in the Galleywood Hurdle at the three day Warrnambool meet.
The Grand Annual Steeplechase is one of the oldest jumps races on the Victorian racing calendar.
First run in 1872, just 11 years after the first Melbourne Cup, it has 33 obstacles for horses to jump, more than any other steeplechase in the world.
Warrnambool Mayor Michael Neoh, who was at the track yesterday, said the racing carnival was a significant community event and worth an estimated $15 million to the area.
"Most of the Warrnambool community was there yesterday.
"It is a focus for the town and something we don't want to lose," Cr Neoh said.
"I am definitely concerned, but . . . (we) can't predict what the Racing Victoria Board will decide.
"We have our fingers crossed that there will be a positive outcome."
Barely half an hour after Clearview Bay's fall, Racing Victoria chief executive Rob Hines announced that the racing body's board would await a report on the three latest horse deaths in Warrnambool before passing judgement on the sport's future next week.
Mr Hines, who was at the race, spoke briefly with Mr Hulls by phone yesterday.
The Racing Minister had already put the industry on notice, after the deaths of 12 horses in jumps racing last season.
Yesterday Mr Hines also announced the temporary suspension of jumps racing, which means three races in Moe this Sunday will be changed to highweight flat races.
Other races are scheduled at tracks across Victoria this year, including at Moonee Valley, Pakenham, Mornington, Hamilton and the Yarra Valley.
Mr Hines defended the sport, saying he hoped Racing Victoria would not halt jumps racing.
"Today we had a fantastic spectacle, but still had a disaster.
"The board will look at all the incidents this season and determine whether there is any prospect of having a safe jumps industry."
Victorian Advocates For Animals president Lawrence Pope welcomed Racing Victoria's suspension of jumps races.
"If it has taken three horses (in Warrnambool this week) to be sacrificed on the altar of jumps racing for this 19th century activity to come to an end, it will have been worthwhile."
Mr Pope said jumps racing is a cruel sport with a death rate 20 times that of flat racing.
Earlier in the day, Australian Jumps Racing Association president Rodney Rae pleaded for calm after the other injured horse, Hassle, was destroyed.
He said about 250 horses a year were brought into jumps racing, when many would otherwise be sent to the knackery.
Mr Rae also said jumps races subsidised the racing industry to the tune of about $7 million, with much of that going to rural areas.
Australia's first jumps race was in Sydney in 1832, followed in Victoria in 1839.
In 1991, a Senate select committee recommended phasing out jumps racing.
NSW banned it in 1997, while Tasmania ended it two years ago.
Jumps races are still run overseas, including in the US, England, Japan, Ireland and New Zealand.
More than 2000 people voted in yesterday's Age online poll.
To the question "Should jumps racing be banned?", 84 per cent said yes and 16 per cent said no.
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