Melbourne Cup favorite died of acute heart failure (Reuters)

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Japanese stayer Admire Rakti, the pre-race favorite for the Melbourne Cup, died of acute heart failure though the cause may be unknown until the full results from a post-mortem, the Racing Victoria Racing’s chief steward has said. The 6-year-old collapsed after the handicap 3,200 meter race on Tuesday after he faded badly and finished in a distant last place behind German raider Protectionist. A post-mortem was conducted at Melbourne University on Tuesday. …