Racing: Fatal injury to Elsworth's Melbourne Cup hope

Wunderwood, David Elsworth's challenger for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, has been put down after a training accident at Mornington racecourse. The seven-year-old injured his near pastern while warming up for a gallop and the decision was made to put the horse down.

Leigh Jordan, of Racing Victoria, said: "It was multiple fractures, the horse was in a lot of pain. The right decision was to put him down."

Elsworth was understandably distraught. "I hoped he'd pulled a shoe off at the time, but we were fearful that it was something worse and I'm afraid it was," he said. "It's the worst kind of thing that can happen. We live with these horses and we get very close to them. It's upsetting and it's like losing a friend or a member of the family."

* Noel Meade's Champion Hurdle hope Iktitaf faces three rivals in the Anglo-Irish Bank Hurdle over two miles at Down Royal today.