---------------------

Three men raced down a 50m stretch with a short statured person on each of their backs whilst thousands watched the race at Cranbourne racetrack in Victoria.

The piggy back race has been slammed by critics as offensive and derogatory. 

Meredith Tripp, a former president of the Short Statured People of Australia association, said that events that made fun of short statured people made it harder for them to go through life without being subject to ridicule.

"We hope to it make easier for short-statured people to participate in society without being bullied or laughed at or stared at. But things like this set us back a little bit."

Victorian Premier John Brumby says the event was inappropriate. "What occurred may well be humorous to many people, but I think the test is whether it's hurtful to people and what occurred is quite hurtful to a number of people and so I think it's tacky"

One of the dwarf "jockeys" at the race on Sunday, Jeremy Hallam, says it was "all in good fun" and he was surprised at the uproar.

“I think there was nothing wrong with it. It was all in good fun. The people were involved for a bit of a laugh and a bit of entertainment, which is what we were there for,” he told Neil Mitchell's program on Radio 3AW this morning.

Cranbourne Racing Club said it received no complaints about the race on the day.