Loaded racehorse owners to get £50,000 for finishing last in a race Aidan O'Brien branded ‘ridiculous'
The massive payout for objective failure comes in a race legendary trainer Aidan O'Brien branded 'ridiculous' - but is one of the biggest in the world.
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Dubbed 'the race that stops the nation', the hefty windfall will line owners' pockets in the Melbourne Cup.
Run over two miles on the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne Cup attracts an international field and is the one race Willie Mullins is absolutely desperate to win.
But with the guaranteed cash up for grabs it's unlikely owners will grumble too much even if it all goes wrong on the day.
The race is worth £4.8million in all, a boost of around £650,000 from last year when shock 90-1 winner Knight's Choice landed a cheque for £2.4m.
Prize money was only paid up to 12th last year, when Brian Ellison's 6-1 Onesmoothoperator took home £85,000.
Those finishing 13th-24th then would have got zilch.
But under the new rules every horse filling those spots will make £50,000 when this year's race is run.
Racing Victoria said the cash injection is partly to reward owners who stump up hefty declaration fees along the way.
CEO Kylie Rogers said: "The Lexus Melbourne Cup is unrivalled for its history, status and reach and the VRC is proud to be able to now reward every local and international participant in the great race.
"It reflects the significant effort required to prepare and qualify for the Lexus Melbourne Cup and goes hand-in-hand with a decision to add additional qualifying opportunities through the Geelong Cup and Moonee Valley Gold Cup."
Don't expect to see O'Brien bothering for the cash, though.
He was left absolutely furious last year when ante-post fav and subsequent Group 1-winning monster Jan Brueghel was scratched due to the infamous vet protocols.
A CT scan, which all international runners must go through, revealed the horse was 'at a heightened risk of injury'.
The Ballydoyle boss, whose own vets disputed the claim, said the whole process, an integral part of the Melbourne Cup, was 'ridiculous'.
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