We’re told that there are few things more enjoyable than a day
at the races. Associated with the kind of devil-may-care japery
that allows one to don a fine hat and drink bubbly before
midday, racedays support that fine Australian tradition of
shirking work in order to yell loudly at something somewhat
sporty.  It didn't end well for Java Star. Photo: Patrick
Gorbunovs  We frock up, we have a tipple and we take a punt. No
one wears thongs.  On the surface, it all appears quite lovely
and so terribly, terribly civilised.  But behind the fashion
stakes and the public holiday carnivals there’s a dark, seedy
side to horse racing here in Australia and it’s one they really
don’t want you to see. That is the practice of forcing horses to
hurtle around a long track with the weight of an obese concrete
garden gnome on their back while jumping over obstacles. It’s
commonly known as jumps racing and it’s distinctly on the nose
in the only two states of our nation to still playing host to
the anachronism - Victoria and S