THE horse that exited midway through the Melbourne Cup — the Aidan O’Brien-trained The Cliffsofmoher — has been euthanised.

O’Brien confirmed the five-year-old died after fracturing a shoulder early in the race.

“Unfortunately these things can happen to a horse galloping around the field at home,” O’Brien said.

“It’s very sad. It could have been worse, (jockey) Ryan (Moore) could have taken a fall off him, someone could have been seriously injured.”

Described as a “tragedy” by veteran Seven commentator Bruce McAvaney, the UK raider pulled up lame as the field passed the finishing post for the first time.

Veterinarians rushed on to the track as soon as the race was completed as a tarp was erected around the fallen stayer.

It came after he was spotted looking very agitated moments before the start.

“Cliffsofmoher, he’s melting like an ice-cream at the moment,” Seven commentator Richard Freedman said. “He’s really sweating up badly.”

It tarnished a thrilling win by Cross Counter, who saluted ahead of Marmelo and A Prince Of Arran.

Cross Counter’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy conceded he was lucky to avoid the chaos as The Cliffsofmoher interrupted the field.

“We were lucky, on the first turn, with that horse breaking down,” McEvoy said. “We were lucky to get through.”

After an eye-catching fourth at his Australian debut in the group one Caulfield Stakes and a third in the Caulfield Cup, the Lloyd Williams-owned stayer entered the Melbourne Cup a $17 chance.

Williams wasn’t overly confident ahead of the race, saying: “He’s a nice horse but I’m a bit worried about him with the 56.5kgs on a soft track.”

It was all over inside 600m as English jockey Moore was forced to pump the brakes.

There have been several deaths in the past five years of the glamour race.

In 2014, Admire Rakti, who collapsed and died in his stall after the race, and Araldo, who broke his leg and was euthanised, were casualties.

The following year fan favourite Red Cadeaux shattered a leg and was put down on the track.

Last year, Regal Monarch died after a sickening fall in another race at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.

Two races after The Cliffsofmoher fell, jockey Jordan Childs and Galaxy Raider took a tumble. But both the horse and rider weren’t injured.

British raider Cross Counter won the coveted $7.3 million prize to give the renowned Godolphin stable their maiden victory after 20 years of trying.

The four-year-old gelding handed jockey Kerrin McEvoy his third victory in the famous handicap race, with Charlie Appleby the first English trainer to claim the trophy.

Racing out of barrier 19, Cross Counter powered down the finishing straight to edge fellow British horses Marmelo and Prince of Arran.

“I thought, mate is this happening again?,” said an ecstatic McEvoy. “I’m just lucky I can ride light on these lovely stayers prepared unbelievably well by Godolphin and Charlie Appleby. And third Melbourne Cup, woo!”

It was the first win for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Godolphin, who have been trying to crack the “race that stops the nation” since first trying with Faithful Son in 1998.

“This is everybody’s dream. It’s sinking in now. This is all down to Sheikh Mohammed,” said Appleby.

“He’s the one that’s given us the encouragement to take the chances in what we do. I’m just delighted. What a ride.”