The field round the bend in race 7, the Emirates Melbourne Cup on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Well, according to SBS, you write the most poor taste form guide for the race you can.

On Tuesday, just as millions of punters were preparing to place their bets, the broadcaster published an article entitled ‘Which Melbourne Cup horse has the best odds of being euthanised?’

The opinion piece was not published on SBS’ satirical website, but on news site The Feed.

On social media, some berated the taxpayer-funded broadcaster for going too far.

Unlike last year, when Red Cadeaux was euthanised after an injury sustained at the Melbourne Cup, all the horses in 2016 appear to have left the field unscathed.

Winner no 17 Almandin ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, second no 13 Heartbreak City ridden by Joao Moreira and third no 6 Hartnell ridden by James McDonald. Picture: George SalpigtidisSource:News Corp Australia

In the article, the writer stated that the realisation was slowly dawning on Australians “that forcing animals to run at speeds that frequently kill them for our entertainment is a fairly s****y thing to do.

“In that spirit, we’ve prepared our very own official Melbourne Cup form guide to answer the question on everyone’s lips: which horse will be the one to sustain a severe injury and be forcibly put down by race officials.”

Following that morbid introduction, each horse was listed with a paragraph on their prospects of never leaving Flemington alive.

It should be noted that none of the horses were seriously investigated to see if they were actually susceptible to an injury — rather general facts and figures was given on deaths of racing horses in Australia.

Red Cadeaux broke his leg at last year’s Melbourne Cup and was later put down Picture: Wayne LudbeySource:News Corp Australia

Contender Big Orange, the piece said, which is “famously named after Donald Trump … has a complex and fragile series of bones in his legs that shatter irreparably when placed under great strain, such as from competitive horse racing.”

Bondi Beach was “much like the iconic piece of Australia it’s named after,” in that, “it will be a focal point of belligerent dickheads who express their ‘love’ for something by trashing it for their momentary amusement while displaying zero concern for its long-term welfare.”

SBS stated 133 horses died on Australian racetracks in 2014 but according to the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, which on its website says it exists to “address the serious animal welfare concerns that are rife throughout the racing industry,” the real figure is likely to be much higher, as deaths after retirement or during training frequently go unreported.

Plaque for Red Cadeaux on a bench near the stables. Picture: George SalpigtidisSource:News Corp Australia

Last year, English stayer Red Cadeaux was euthanised weeks after the Melbourne Cup.

The fan favourite broke its leg during the race and while it had been initially hoped the 10 year old would recover, Racing Victoria subsequently said “irreversible complications arose” with the injury.

When it came to the Cup favourite, the SBS piece said, “Take heart, Hartnell! If you die, at least your years were well spent making money for people like Tom Waterhouse.”

The article admitted that “the vast majority of race horses don’t die on the track,” but the training regimen caused “mental distress and suffering”.

“If Heartbreak City dies this afternoon, expect a flood of crocodile-tear headlines riffing on his name,” the piece said.

Meanwhile, what of Almandin, this year’s winner?

“Race horses frequently contract exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage, which is a fancy way of saying their lungs bleed,” said the commentary.

“A University of Melbourne study in 2005 found that more than half of race horses display signs of EIPH after a race.

“So Almandin’s probably not exactly going to have a whale of a time either.”