Many families have a history that involves horse racing. It's a popular past time all over the world and even if you don't gamble on races you can always appreciate the beauty of the animals.

The horses are bred and tenderly cared for by their owners and riders, but even the most expensive care can't save every horse.

On Monday, the horse racing world lost one of its most promising stallions when the UK horse The CliffsofMoher fell due to a fractured right shoulder.

Vets rushed to the downed thoroughbred, but due to the nature of the injury it was decided to put him down.

"It is with sadness that we confirm that The Cliffsofmoher had to be humanely euthanised after sustaining a fractured right shoulder during the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington," Executive General Manager Jamie Stier said.

The horse was 5 years old and had passed it's preliminary veterinarian examination.

Australian outlet Sporting News reported that Cliffsofmoher appeared "agitated" immediately before the race. Shortly after the run began it was clear something was wrong.

"Cliffsofmoher, he's melting like an ice-cream at the moment," race commentator Richard Freeman said.

Vets erected a green tarp around the horse and treated him on the sidelines.

"This was an unfortunate incident that happens infrequently, with Victoria having one of the best safety records in world racing," Stier said.

Condolences poured in from around the racing world for the owners of the horse as well as trainer Aiden O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore.

[H/T: The West]

The Melbourne Cup is a popular annual horse race in Australia with large sums of money being awarded to winning horses. This year over $7 million was one by winner Cross Counter. Cliffsofmoher is the sixth horse to die in the race since 2013.