Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses WA

28/04/2026

On Sunday a group of predominantly local Rockingham residents took time out of their long weekend to protest against the Lark Hill Cup Race Day.

After the races, Lorna Buchan, Mayor of Rockingham shared a post enthusing about what a fantastic day she had, realising a 'shared vision' showcasing 'the energy and spirit of Rockingham'. Meanwhile we had owners/trainers leaving the track towing their horse floats yelling out at us about how much money they had won (because it's always about the money), threats of physical violence hurled by event staff and verbal abuse from punters, including children in cars with their parents. As a horse was walked over to the nearby equine vets from the track, those leading them bragged about taking them, as if providing veterinary care was some kind of virtue rather than a minimum expected standard. So our experience of the energy and spirit of Rockingham was certainly less than fantastic.

Horse racing is an exploitative 'sport' which frequently results in injury and death for the non-consenting equine participants. This isn't an opinion, this is a fact. If it doesn't happen in a high profile race, it happens behind the scenes. Lark Hill is a death track, having claimed a victim, Capre Omnia, only 2 months ago during trials.

No matter how glamorous the marketing, alluring the potential winnings or chance of glory and fame, horse racing is a sordid, violent and barbaric stain on our society.

Thank you to everyone who came out to join us, to those who contacted the council and spoke at meetings to express your disapproval of their sponsorship of the Lark Hill Cup and every other way that folks made noise about this. Don't stop.
We have Rockingham residents who still have unanswered questions relating to the funding which will be raised at upcoming council meetings. We must ensure the council understands that ignoring policy, animal cruelty and gambling harm is not a 'shared vision' of the community.

We will continue to stand against the violence, cruelty and exploitation until we see an end to horse racing.

25/04/2026

The decision to recommence racing at Lark Hill, and the funding provided by the City of Rockingham, has been controversial. For us it's always primarily about animal exploitation, but there are a variety of other concerns that have arisen. We've broken down the key issues driving our protest outside the event tomorrow.

• The City of Rockingham has provided $280,000 of funding to horse racing in the last year (93% of its Iconic Event budget) despite contradicting council policy against events featuring gambling and animal cruelty.

• Councillor Craig Buchanan resigned recently citing lack of confidence in administrative processes - potentially driven by the decision to sponsor the Lark Hill Cup.

• MLC .dorn.ajp has raised concerns about council governance and policy compliance with the Minister for Local Government.

• Horse Racing Kills - Capre Omnia was killed at Lark Hill during trials on 9th February. He was 6 yo, had won $249,310 and was first raced as a 2yo.

• ANZAC horses toiled, suffered, and lost their lives during wars and this ANZAC weekend horses will be forced to risk their lives, not to fight for their country but so people can gamble!

• Gambling will take place adjacent to the family area at Sundays Lark Hill Cup - Australian research indicates early exposure, and normalisation of gambling can lead to problems with gambling in adulthood, with children particularly influenced by gambling marketing in conjunction with sport.

This debate is framed within broader declining public support for gambling and animal exploitation and raises concerns about the expansion of the racing industry despite public sentiment and in light of the requirement of large amounts of public funds spent at both state and local government level to prop up the racing industry in the face of ongoing losses.

If you would like to join us the protest please meet us at Dankz Furniture in Port Kennedy at 11.40am to rideshare to the protest location. The road to the racetrack will be closed to all private vehicles, only admitting shuttle bus or rideshare vehicles. Protest at Lark Hill Racetrack commences at 12pm on Sunday 26th April.

https://facebook.com/events/s/lark-hill-cup-protest-port-ken/26466387309687749/

14/04/2026

BYD is this year's Quokka Race Day sponsor. The Quokka is the final installment of the Western Trilogy tri-code slot race, held at Ascot in Perth this Saturday.

We're surprised that a progressive, sustainable company would put their name, and funding behind an antiqued and cruel 'sport'. The sponsorship of the Quokka supports animal exploitation and negative social outcomes such as gambling harm and alcoholism. This seems a bit of a misaligned marketing faux pas to us at Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, and we want to let them know.

We need your help!
Let know that you share our concern.
We've prepared a pre-written email you can use to contact BYD and let them know how we feel about them supporting animal cruelty. Feel free to edit to share your own thoughts or send as it is.

Email to: [email protected]

Pre-written email: https://horseracingkills.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/BYD-Quokka-Sponsorship-2026.docx
Instagram: Link in bio

16/03/2026

Three-year-old Chama had been raced since he was two years old. His tongue was tied down and his vision was restricted by blinkers.

When his front knee shattered during a race in Perth on 4 February, his suffering wasn’t ended in front of the spectators. Instead, he was made to hobble onto a float and was transported off the track for ‘further assessment’.

When Chama arrived at the vet, he was put down, although the stewards report only noted he had been taken away for treatment. Weeks later a supplementary steward’s report noted that Chama had been under veterinary treatment in the time leading up to the race that killed him.

We cannot emphasise enough that catastrophic injuries to horses during racing are not accidents. They are a direct result of pushing the horses too far, too fast, and from far too young.

16/03/2026

CPR is at a loss to understand how animal welfare can be excluded from any assessment of the viability, sustainability and financial future of the racing industry, which would not exist without its animals.

However, we had to at least submit a letter to help the racing industry in WA understand how not addressing the welfare of its most important participants will inevitably undermine the entire purpose of the review.

The deadline for submissions is tomorrow Sunday 8 March. If you would also like to remind racing WA of the animals they reply upon to exist, you can do so by emailing the reviewers: [email protected]

04/02/2026

WA Racing Industry on a Losing Streak

A Government Review will investigate why the racing industry in WA is continuously losing $25-$40 million a year. The aim is to make racing sustainable, but that apparently doesn’t involve considering the main stakeholder, the racehorses, or the greyhounds. The review will not accept public submissions and it does not consider concerns for animal welfare.

According to an article in The Straight, the WA racing industry is hoping through the financial review to achieve a bigger cut of wagering profits from the state. We at CPR, however, think it is delusional to disregard the negative impact on the industry that stems the declining public support of the industry due to animal welfare concerns.

Would extra wagering profits go towards improving the welfare and safety of the racehorses, or to provide them with a retirement fund that safeguards all racehorses including those who are injured, aged, or mentally traumatised?

Not according to the Perth Racing Chief, who has “renewed infrastructure” at the top of his wish list.



Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses

30/01/2026