Sydney - Next year is set to be the last year for jumps racing in the only two Australian states where there are still fences at tracks for horses to hurdle. Racing regulators in the state of Victoria announced Friday that the community was no longer prepared to put up with horses being shot at race meetings after they had fallen at fences and broken their legs or necks.
South Australia, the other state still allowing steeplechasing, seems certain to follow Victoria and ban tracks with fences.
Eight horses died at tracks this year after 12 died in 2008.
Animal welfare body the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) welcomed the decision.
"It's taken a long time but this couldn't be better news," RSPCA spokesman Hugh Wirth said.
