10 greyhounds killed racing in March 2024

My Gal Cookie suffered an horrendous and life ending spinal injury. Blinkin’ Blue fractured his fibula, tibia and his Achilles tendon. Charos Max, Let’s Go Merv and Rocamadour each suffered “catastrophic” fractures. All were killed by the on track vets in March 2024.

On March 2, Oceanside, thirty two months old, was running in race nine at Wentworth Park, NSW when he “went amiss” turning from the back straight. The video shows him pulling up sharply in pain. He had fractured his offside wrist as well as his offside hock and was killed by the on course vet. Oceanside had raced thirty one times.

Charos Max suffered a “catastrophic” hock fracture in race ten at Cannington track (Australia’s deadliest track) on March 4. He collided with another greyhound on the first turn, in a race filled with collisions. In the race video he is shown being checked and pulling back in pain. He came last and was killed shortly after by the on track vet. It was Charos Max’s twenty first and last race. He was not yet three.

Rocamadour also suffered a “catastrophic” hock fracture on March 6. He was running in race nine at Gawler, SA when he “lost ground and appeared injured” on the back straight. The race video is “unavailable”. Rocamadour had been forced to race fifty three times. He was killed by the on course vet.

The next day, March 7, at a wet Gunnedah track in NSW Let’s Go Merv collided with another runner in race nine and “lost considerable ground”. He was found to have suffered a “catastrophic” injury to his nearside wrist. Despite his injury he gamely kept running and came last. His loyalty and tenacity was rewarded with euthanasia at the track. Let’s Go Merv was only thirty two months old.

On March 13 at Ballarat track in Victoria two year old Blink You Lose collided with another runner in the back straight during race ten. The video shows him falling at top speed, a fawn blur in a red race bib. He fractured his right tibia. Despite winning his connections more than $50,000 over his sixty four starts Blink You Lose was killed by the on course vet.

Sir Melville was running in his forty third race at Horsham Victoria on March 19 when he was “checked and faltered” approaching the home turn. The video of race eleven shows him faltering but then limping on three legs to the finish, far behind the rest of the field. Sir Melville had broken his right hock. After the race stewards inspected the track and deemed it “satisfactory for racing”. Sir Melville, who had just turned three, was killed by the on track vet.

On March 21 at Ipswich track in Queensland, petite girl My Gal Cookie “faltered” and fell less than three seconds into race twelve, a “masters” race designed to wring more money out of older greyhounds. My Gal Cookie had suffered a spinal injury- the race video is distressing to watch. It shows her falling, her mouth open in agony, then she frantically drags her useless hind legs trying to get to safety. Poor My Gal Cookie had been raced over sixty times. The on track vet killed her shortly after.

Velocity Tahnie, three years old, was running in race seven at Gawler track in South Australia on March 24 when she fell at the back turn. In the video she is seen falling and flipping over several times. Velocity Tahnie fractured her right radius and ulna as well as her right hock. She had not raced since early January at Murray Bridge track, where she had come last. Velocity Tahnie had been raced fifty four times. She was killed by the on course vet.

On March 28 at Warrnambool Victoria two year old Blinkin’ Blue collided with another greyhound, fell and did not finish. He can be seen on the race video pulling up and falling backwards. He had broken his right fibula, his right medial tibia and had an Achilles tendon injury. Blinkin’ Blue was killed by the on track vet after this, his thirty ninth and last race.

On the same day in Mandurah, WA, Mauritian Power fractured his left carpal bone. In a race noted for multiple collisions, he was checked, stumbled then lost ground. The race video shows him pulling up with his legs flailing. Amazingly he carries on, racing awkwardly with his broken paw, coming second last. Another greyhound in the race, At A Girl, fractured her hock and was stood down for ninety days but escaped death at the track. Mauritian Power was killed by the on course vet. He was two and a half and his racing “career” had lasted a mere nine starts.