Taylor Swift has pulled out of a performance at the Melbourne Cup, with animal rights activists taking credit after a campaign to highlight cruelty to racehorses.
The country star had been slated to perform two songs in the Mounting Yard, meaning anyone with a general admission ticket would have been able to see her perform at the race that stops the nation on November 5.
The Grammy Award-winner was announced as the headline act for the “race that stops a nation” earlier this month and was due to sing two songs from her latest hit album “Lover”.
I’m glad the melbourne cup is being discussed but its sad it took for taylor swift performing there to realise how bad and deadly this event is. To this day it hurts seeing Admire Ratki had a massive heart attack on live TV. I won’t be surprised if another horse dies this year.
— steph\BUY LOVER ON AUG 23 (@adazzlinglover) September 11, 2019
But it sparked a backlash on social media and a push by the Campaign for the Protection of Racehorses, which claimed she had “put money before compassion” and was “endorsing animal abuse”.
READ MORE: JENNIFER LOPEZ MOVIE HUSTLERS BANS IN MALAYSIA
More than 6,500 people signed an online petition urging her to cancel.
Her fans did not want to see her supporting animal abuse. Whilst the reason being used by the racing industry is a scheduling mix-up, it appears to us that she has responded to those calls.”
Six horses have died at the Melbourne Cup since 2013, including one last year when Irish five-year-old The CliffsofMoher was euthanised after suffering a fractured right shoulder during a race that has been run on the first Tuesday of November since 1876.