DEMAND CRIMINAL CHARGES – NOW!
Horses died, the racing industry issued a ban. Is that justice?
The death of City Limits shows us that the racing industry should NOT be regulating themselves.
In January 2026, neighbours discovered the five-year-old thoroughbred City Limits dead in a paddock on a private rural property near Bendigo, Victoria.
Racing NSW has now issued trainer Brian Carey a 16-month disqualification after determining the horse was not provided adequate food or water.
That finding establishes something important:
This was not a mystery death.
It was a welfare failure.
Yet the only confirmed consequence so far – a temporary ban.
No criminal charge has been publicly announced.
WHAT THE CRIMINAL LAW PROVIDES
WHY THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO ASK QUESTIONS
In Victoria, animal neglect is not handled only by regulators — it is addressed by criminal law under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.
The Act requires a person in charge of an animal to provide proper and sufficient food and drink and to care for the animal if it is sick, injured, or suffering.
Where that duty is breached and suffering or death results, criminal offences arise.
For individuals, those offences carry penalties of up to 250 penalty units (over $48,000) or 12 months imprisonment.
Where the conduct causes death or serious disablement, aggravated cruelty provisions allow penalties of up to 500 penalty units (over $96,000) or 2 years imprisonment, along with court-ordered bans on owning animals and seizure of animals.
The racing industry has issued a temporary licence disqualification – we ask – do YOU think that is enough? We don’t.
The law provides the possibility of criminal conviction, imprisonment, and prohibition from keeping animals. Help us demand criminal charges be brought.
These are fundamentally different outcomes serving different purposes.
Members of the public are now being asked to contact elected officials in both Victoria and New South Wales and request confirmation that this matter has been assessed under animal cruelty law, and to provide clear reasons if criminal prosecution is not being pursued.
Use the prepared letter below to respectfully request transparency and accountability.
Request Transparency – City Limits Case
Please complete the fields below and click Generate Email to open your email app with the prepared message.
If the form doesn’t work on your device, copy the letter below and send it manually.
Subject: Press criminal charges — horse starved to death (City Limits)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing regarding the January 2026 death of the thoroughbred City Limits, discovered deceased near Bendigo, Victoria.
Racing NSW issued a 16-month disqualification to licensed trainer Brian Carey after determining the horse was not provided proper and sufficient nutrition and water. That regulatory finding establishes that a serious welfare failure occurred.
However, a racing penalty is not a criminal determination.
Under Victoria’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986, a person in charge of an animal must provide proper and sufficient food and drink and must care for an animal that is sick, injured, or suffering. Where that duty is breached and suffering or death results, criminal offences may arise, carrying penalties including significant fines, imprisonment, and court-ordered prohibitions on owning animals.
Because the horse died in Victoria, the public reasonably expects clarity as to whether the matter has been formally assessed under animal cruelty law.
I am not asking your office to determine guilt.
I am asking that your office ensure transparency by confirming whether:
A criminal investigation was conducted or formally declined
The legal threshold for charges was assessed
Reasons can be provided if prosecution is not being pursued
Public confidence depends on assurance that animal welfare law is applied consistently.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City / State]
[Email]
SEND IT TO…
Victoria — where the horse died
Attorney-General of Victoria — Sonya Kilkenny MP
Email: attorney-general@justice.vic.gov.au
Phone: +61 3 8684 0444
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SonyaKilkenny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonyaKilkennyMP
———–
Minister for Agriculture (Animal Welfare) — Ros Spence MP
Email: agriculture@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Phone: +61 3 9217 2088
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RosSpenceMP
———-
New South Wales — racing licensing authority
Minister for Racing — David Harris MP
Email: office@harris.minister.nsw.gov.au
Phone: +61 2 8574 6300
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DavidHarrisMP
———-
Attorney-General of NSW — Michael Daley MP
Email: attorneygeneral@dcj.nsw.gov.au
Phone: +61 2 8346 1000
X/Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MichaelDaleyMP
Facebook:
IF YOU CARE ABOUT HORSES – SPEAK UP
Help us raise awareness.
Boycott horse racing – including saying #nuptothecup.
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#MOHM THREATENED?
We’ve been threatened by those in the horse racing industry and those who benefit from horse slaughter more times than we can count.
But we are not going away.
We are going to persist until horse slaughter no longer exists for any purpose within Australia -- and until the horse racing industry makes drastic changes.
We are going to continue our hands-on work to offer lifelong sanctuary to as many horses as possible. We generally have 20 at just one of our locations - at any given time.
We have the acreage to take on more horses as financial support allows.
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