Zac Purton rides Admire Rakti during the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse, November 4, 2014. Pre-race favourite Admire Rakti collapsed and died after finishing last in the race.
Zac Purton rides Admire Rakti during the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse, November 4, 2014. Pre-race favourite Admire Rakti collapsed and died after finishing last in the race. REUTERS/Brandon Malone (AUSTRALIA - Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)
Zac Purton rides Admire Rakti during the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse, November 4, 2014. Pre-race favourite Admire Rakti collapsed and died after finishing last in the race. REUTERS/Brandon Malone (AUSTRALIA - Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

It was a day of the unexpected at Australia's Melbourne Cup 2014 on Tuesday after punters' favourite Admire Rakti finished last and then died. German horse Protectionist won the race in Flemington. Protectionist's fourth-length victory is the best finish since Rain Lover won in 1967 with eight-lengths.

In second place is Red Cadeaux and in third place is Who Shot Thebarman.

YouTube/TheChudude

Besides Admire Rakti, winner of the Caulfield Cup in October, another horse, Araldo, is fighting for its life, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Five minutes after Admire Rakti surprised bettors by coming in last, the horse collapsed at the stalls after he showed signs of extreme distress. It was 25 lengths behind the second to the last runner.

Jockey Zac Purton, the rider of Admire Rakti, said that he felt something was wrong with the horse 800 metres from the finish line. The vets were called, but it was too late to save the life of the former champ.

Its body will be brought to the Werribee veterinary hospital for autopsy to find out the cause of the horse's death. Chief Steward Terry Bailey told The Australian that details about Admire Rakty's death are sketchy, but an autopsy is a standard procedure.

Araldo, 6th placer in the field of 22, is now at Werribee for treatment of a broken cannonbone. He shattered a cannonbone after a young spectator waved a white flag in the horse's face, causing Araldo to leap forward and jump the steel rail.

Reacting to the death of Admire Rakti, the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses spokesman Ward Young told AAP, "We are distraught to learn of another horse dying at the Melbourne Cup," as he said it is an example of how horses are overworked on the racetrack. Young cited that in the past 12 months, about 125 horses died during or shortly after the race.

Read: Only 22 Remaining Runners In Melbourne Cup After Cavalryman Withdraws From Race; Admire Rakti Is Favourite To Win