A piggy-back race with dwarfs dressed as jockeys has been slammed by critics as offensive and derogatory.
Thousands watched the race at a Cranbourne racetrack in Victoria, dubbed the "midgets' cup", as part of Sunday's Cranbourne Cup meeting, Adelaide Now reports.
What do you think of the race — was it harmless fun or just plain ridicule? Share your thoughts below.
Three men raced down a 50m stretch with a short statured person on each of their backs.
The race ended with one "jockey" falling and crashing headfirst into the dirt but he was uninjured.
Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls said he couldn’t understand the point of the race.
"At a time when racing should be fighting hard for that discretionary dollar and fighting hard to get young people back to the track, this type of event does nothing to promote the industry as vital, modern or innovative," he was quoted by Adelaide Now as saying.
Meredith Tripp, a former president of the Short Statured People of Australia association, told the newspaper that events that made fun of short statured people made it harder for them to go through life without being subject to ridicule.
"For a big corporate group seeing some sort of comical side to such an event is unfortunate," she said.
Cranbourne Racing Club said it received no complaints about the race on the day.
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