Let's not forget what the past Melbourne Cups have looked like.

Listen to this story being read by Brielle Burns, here,

At 3:00pm on the first Tuesday of every November, the gates slam open. 

For three minutes and 20 seconds, millions of people around the country pause and watch as horses stampede across the turf at Flemington.

It's a long-held tradition, a national institution. 

But in recent years, the race that once stopped the nation, has come to divide it. 

Over the past decade, a dark history of deaths has marred the day of colourful celebration and cheer, proving time and time again that the Melbourne Cup is not only Australia's most popular horse race, but also one of the deadliest. 

Almost every year, a horse loses its life. 

Almost every year, track attendants rush onto the turf and put up screens around a fallen horse. 

Almost every year, a horse's name is trending on social media and the choir of protesters grow louder. 

It's become our new tradition. 

Read more: Should we still be celebrating Melbourne Cup in 2022? 24 women share their thoughts.

Deaths in the horse racing industry. 

In the past year alone, 139 racehorses have died on Australian tracks, according to the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR). 

That equates to one death every 2.5 days.

Of the 139 horses, the most prevalent cause of death was catastrophic front limb injury. 

The Melbourne Cup, our national day of drinking and gambling, remains particularly deadly. 

Seven horses have lost their lives across the last eight Cups from 2013-2020. 

Six died in the Cup itself and one in a lead-up race on Cup Day. 

In 2020, Anthony Van Dyck was number seven. 

Fresh off the back of a win at the prestigious Epsom Derby in the UK, the Irish colt was the highest-profile fatality in the Cup's history.

He faltered around home turn, forcing jockey Hugh Bowman to pull up and dismount. He had suffered a fractured fetlock (a joint in the lower leg) and was taken away to be euthanised.

Anthony Van Dyck is the highest-profile victim of the Cup. Image: Getty.

Before him, there was Irish galloper, Cliffsofmoher, who broke his shoulder and was euthanised on the track in 2018.

In 2017, Regal Monarch fell mid-race and died that evening.

In 2015, Red Cadeaux broke a bone in his front left leg. He died two weeks later from surgery complications. 

In 2014, Admire Rakti dropped dead in his stall following the race. Not long afterwards, another horse, Araldo, was euthanised after sustaining a broken leg.

In 2013, four-year-old French horse Verema was euthanised after she snapped a bone in her lower leg about 2000 metres into the race.

We remember Melbourne Cup's victims just as we remember all the less visible horses — killed during trials, on racetracks throughout the year, and in slaughterhouses.

One death for gambling money is too many. #HorseRacingKills pic.twitter.com/yAw6c1cRCb

— Animals Australia (@AnimalsAus) October 31, 2022

Last year's Melbourne Cup was an anomaly. It was one of only three since 2013 to pass without a fatality. 

Injuries in horse racing. 

As well as race day fatalities, thousands of horses die every year off the track from racing-related injuries or are killed for not being profitable, AAP reports.

A 2015 University of Melbourne research paper found that 50 per cent of race horses in Australia have blood in their windpipe, while 90 per cent had blood in their lungs. Bleeding is particularly hard to diagnose because only one per cent of horses will show visible signs of bleeding.

This past racing year, 623 horses in Australia were reported to have suffered bleeding of the lungs, or exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) while being raced within this racing year, compared to 548 in the previous year and 483 the year before, according to 2022 Deathwatch report.

Age is another factor.

In Australia, racing two-year-old horses is commonplace, with Racing Victoria noting that "typically a thoroughbred's racing career starts at the age of two".

But research published in the journal Preventative Veterinary Medicine states racing a two-year-old horse puts it at greater risk of injury, because the horse's skeletal system is still immature. 

The RSPCA highlights this danger, stating: "The evidence indicates that low-grade injuries and disease occur at a high rate during the training and racing of two-year-olds in Australia, with 85 per cent of horses reported as suffering at least one incident of injury or disease."

What is Racing Victoria doing differently this year?

At the time of publication, this year's race has dropped to 22 horses, after four horses were scratched due to health concerns or injuries. 

On Tuesday morning, Lunar Flare was ruled out of the race after failing a race-day veterinary examination. 

BREAKING: Lunar Flare has failed a race day vet check and has been scratched from the Melbourne Cup. Interpretation passed fit to run. More @Racing

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 31, 2022

The day before, Point Nepean was withdrawn from the race due to an elevated blood result on Monday. 

Horses Durston and Loft were also ruled out last week after a mandatory pre-race scan found Durston had a "grey area" in his left hind leg, and Racing Victoria vets discovered Loft had an injured tendon.

"In accordance with the conditions of the race, Durston was presented at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre in Werribee on Friday, 21 October for compulsory CT scans of its distal limb," Racing Victoria said in a statement.

"Reports received from the members of the international imaging panel who reviewed Durston’s CT scan results indicate that the horse is at heightened risk of injury."

With four horses already out of the race, we can only hope the remaining 22 don't become another strike to add to the tally board. Another life lost. 

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.