( CNN ) -- Elation over the first German victory in Australia 's Melbourne Cup has been dampened by the death of two horses at the event . The race favorite -- Japanese-trained Admire Rakti -- collapsed and died in his stall , minutes after crossing the post in last place . Later Araldo was reportedly put down after being spooked by a boy with a flag on his way back to the stalls causing the seventh-placed horse to suffer a serious leg injury . Stallion Admire Ratkti had struggled in the race despite being widely tipped to win after an impressive win in the Caulfield Cup in October . `` The exact cause of death is yet to be determined , although the circumstances of the horse 's passing are very rare , '' said Dr. Brian Stewart , the head of veterinary and equine welfare at Racing Victoria , referring to Admire Ratki . He said a postmortem would be conducted . `` Our sympathies are extended at this time to the owner Mr Kondo , trainer Mr Umeda and his staff who cared deeply for their horse and are naturally saddened by their tragic loss . '' First past the post in prestigious Melbourne Cup was Protectionist , a five-year old trained by Andreas Wohler , and ridden by English jockey Ryan Moore . `` He has won very easily and that is a very good horse , '' Moore said . An ecstatic Wohler said : `` It 's unbelievable . We 'll probably later think about it and it 's a moment you wo n't forget in your life . '' The five-year old -- one of the most inexperienced in the field -- won by four lengths , ahead of Britain 's Red Cadeaux , which placed second for a third time out of four starts . New Zealand 's Who Shot Thebarman came third . Second horse injured . After being spooked Araldo reared up and kicked a fence , badly injuring his right hind leg . The stallion was examined on site before being taken by ambulance to the University of Melbourne Veterinary Hospital . There , vets determined his injuries were too severe , and he was euthanized . Last year , Verema was euthanized after snapping her cannon bone and dropping out of the race at the halfway mark . The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses ( CPR ) asked on its Facebook page whether the `` party was really worth it ? '' `` A recent study by CPR found that 125 horses died on Australian racetracks over a 12 month period , '' added the horse protection organization . `` Thousands more are also sent to the knackery when no longer profitable . `` Today added two more casualties to those statistics . '' Just three weeks ago , Admire Rakti -- trained by Tomoyuko Umeda -- took first place in the Caulfield Cup , putting the seven-year-old in prime position to take out the Melbourne Cup . Just hours before the race , commentators speculated on whether he could take the rare double . Ridden by Zac Purton , Admire Rakti started out strongly but showed signs of discomfort with several hundred meters to go . `` It 's very sad . He gave me a great thrill at Caulfield and for this to happen to him is just not fair , '' Purton said . `` I did n't think they 'd beat me . I thought he 'd win today and the whole way through the first half of the race I thought that too . '' The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( RSPCA ) released a statement saying it expects a full investigation to be conducted into both incidents . `` Events like these are a stark reminder to the community of the real risks to horses associated with racing , '' the statement said . `` Sadly , injury and death are the price some horses pay for our entertainment in a sport that puts intense pressure on animals to perform to the limits of their endurance . '' The Melbourne Cup is the biggest event on the country 's racing calendar . There 's a public holiday every year in Victoria , the southern state where the race is run . Elsewhere around the country , work stops and many schools pause to watch the race live on television .
Race favorite , Flemington Racecourse 's Admire Rakti dies immediately after race . Australian -trained Admire Rakti takes cup by four lengths . Seventh -placed Protectionist later euthanized . 100,000 people watched from the trackside at Japan .