RACEGOERS to the Bendigo Jockey Club for the Mosstrooper Steeplechase Raceday were greeted by anti-jumps racing protesters yesterday.
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Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses campaign director Elio Celotto said the activists came from Melbourne to protest.
He said wastage of horses was high in jumps racing.
"Horses fall, they sustain injuries and then these horses disappear,” he said.
“The number of victims to this sport are not just those who are killed on the racecourse. There is a much larger number that are killed off the racetrack when they're unable to compete as a result of injuries they have sustained."
Jumps racing was banned in Victoria in 2009 but reinstated soon after.
Mr Celotto said he did not believe the majority of Victorians supported the sport.
"It's illegal in NSW and the South Australian government is holding an inquiry into jumps racing because of the cruelty that's imposed on these horses," he said.
"We'd like to see the Victorian government intervene as the South Australian government has and bring it to an end."
Bendigo Jockey Club's Brendan Dreschler, after whom one of Sunday's jumps races was named, slammed the protesters as "professional whingers".
“They'll whinge about anything; they'll whinge about the sun coming up," he said.
Mr Dreschler said jumps racing in Victoria was safer than ever.
"We've developed magnificent new fences that are fantastic, we've developed education for jumps trainers,” he said.
"Victoria now has best practice in the world when it comes to jumps racing."
He said interest in the sport was increasing.
"We had a crowd today 40 per cent up on last year; we had in excess of 2000 people here,” he said.
"Horse numbers are on the increase and horse owners are on the increase."
Mr Dreschler said there had been "no negatives” out of Sunday's meet.
"We had a great atmosphere and the best jumpers in Victoria with four fantastic jumps races,” he said.
"We might have had maybe four or five protesters.
"They drove all the way from Melbourne to see a horse fall. They've had to drive home very disappointed."
One horse fell during yesterday's meet but appeared uninjured.
