Melbourne Cup day, 5 November 2013, has been a day of mixed emotions. Favourite Fiorente’s win has been a triumph for trainer Gai Waterhouse. She became the first woman to train the winner of the race that stops a nation. It certainly stops its home city where there is a public holiday that brings a crowd of up to 110,000 people.

However, the glory was dimmed by the death of one of the runners, Verema, which had to be put down afterwards. It was owned by the Aga Khan IV, one of the sport of kings’ richest patrons.

Twitter was a mixture of…

Elation:

Fabe Keily, is CEO of Women In Management Australia ‘What Working Women Want’.

GAI WATERHOUSE is Australia's FIRST FEMALE Trainer to WIN the Melbourne Cup: Just goes to show that you can WIN… http://t.co/zsCn7YM131

— Fabe Keily (@fabekeily) November 5, 2013

Some humour:

I must resist urge to 'shop that MT @7NewsSydney: The moment Gai Waterhouse realised Fiorente won 2013 #MelbourneCup pic.twitter.com/AkVtIGARx3

— Solly (@Sollygc) November 5, 2013

Followed by sadness with the news of the “euthanized” horse.

Oh Verema. RIP you beautiful girl. RT“@DanGinnane: How could you not choke up, at least a little #melbournecup pic.twitter.com/X5wM2szq07”

— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) November 5, 2013

Plus a fair bit of anger:

Horses were beaten today, and one was put down. But #MelbourneCup is not the only day this happens. It's just the one people dress up for.

— ABCnewsIntern (@ABCnewsIntern) November 5, 2013

Verema has been put down after snapping a cannon bone. Worth re-reading our piece: The cruelty of the #MelbourneCup http://t.co/kYq9SPSsFx

— Jessica Reed (@GuardianJessica) November 5, 2013

Hope everybody had fun dressing up, gambling and vomiting. Verema was necessary collateral damage, right? #MelbourneCup

— Jes (@mugleyjes) November 5, 2013

With some black humour:

I love the smell of glue in the afternoon. #MelbourneCup

— Skarburn (@EnjoyMedway) November 5, 2013

In a sign of the online times, the Wikipedia entry for the Aga Khan was updated within two hours of the race:

Thoroughbred horse racing

…On 5 November 2013, one of Aga Khan's horses – Verema – fractured it's right fore cannon[90] and was put down at the Melbourne Cup, Australia.