Injuries, bleeding attacks and excessive whipping –  the well-being of the horses upon which the racing industry relies once again took a back seat as owners and trainers desperately chased prestige and prizemoney in this year's Melbourne Cup.

The tough and demanding Melbourne Cup took its toll on the field yesterday. VRC vets discovered after the race that third placegetter Maybe Better was severely lame in the off foreleg. Tawqeet weakened badly and was found to be lame in the near foreleg. English raider Geordieland was detected to have blood in the nostrils.

Jockey Frankie Dettori:

“He (Geordieland) bled from both nostrils. The race was over for me at the 400 metres.  I hope the horse is OK”

The Sydney Morning Herald, November 13, 2006:

What do we make of Tawqeet and the equal favourite's three-legged attempt to win the Melbourne Cup? How about appalling? No fewer than three Racing Victoria vets passed the import fit to run despite a plate being ripped off and with it a portion of inner hoof. 

The Daily Telegraph, November 8, 2006:

Favourite Tawqeet had sustained a hoof injury and Cups maestro Bart Cummings had said on radio that he didn't like the way he was moving – but he was vetted and approved to run. But he was ridden like a horse with a hoof missing – dropping way back on the fence, after a scrimmage with Yeats early, never improving, and lolling home 19th in the straight the widest horse. Jockey Dwayne Dunn said later that Tawqeet was feeling the injury during the run.

The Age, November 8, 2006:

"We all learned a big lesson today," English trainer Jamie Poulton said. "We were stabled (at Sandown) with them (the Japanese) and a few of their training methods had a few of us raise our eyebrows, but hey, it worked.” When asked what methods had caught his eye, he replied: "Last week, when we came here (Flemington) for a gallop and the Japanese rider was belting the shit out of the horse (Delta Blues) in his gallop just a week before the race. That was certainly one of them. You need 'em tough and they're tough all right."

The Herald, Wednesday November 8, 2006:

Last Tuesday, Australian trainers looked on in amazement as Japanese Melbourne Cup hope Delta Blues was freely whipped during a training gallop at Flemington.

Caulfield trainer Peter Moody:

“Everyone stood in amazement when the horse (Delta Blues) got hit as much as he did with the whip up the straight (at trackwork) on Tuesday morning”