Eighteen greyhounds lost their lives in March in what proved to be a murderous month on Australian tracks.
Victoria and Queensland tied for equal first in the Dog Killing Stakes, with six deaths each. NSW was runner-up with a further three deaths, while South Australia and Tasmania each recorded one unnecessary death.
Deadliest Tracks
Ipswich recorded a horrendous FIVE deaths in March, FOUR IN FOUR DAYS. Geelong recorded THREE deaths in one week.
The Injuries of the murderous month
Virtually all of the fatal injuries resulted from collisions and falls. The overwhelming majority of falls, sixteen, occurred on turns, proving once more that curved tracks are deadly.
There were seven compound fractures, chiefly to the legs.
- Poor Swift Sharkey suffered an agonising compound fracture of the scapula (shoulder) at Coonamble track when he hit the fence, turning into the back straight. He was just two years old and had won $850 in prize money.
- Slick Velvet fell after a collision on a turn, hitting the fence and fracturing the radius and ulna.
- Good Girl Grace fractured both her hocks following a collision at Geelong and could not go on. The on-track vet euthanised her.
- Final Assassin, nearly 3, suffered a comminuted compound fracture of the near hind at Ipswich. These injuries are catastrophic and are likened to being shot or injuries sustained in car accidents. They are agonisingly painful. Final Assassin had won a mere $890 in prize money over a short career of just six starts.
- But for short careers, Tiger Shian is the unlucky “winner”. He finished his two-race career at Ipswich following a “serious injury to the nearside foreleg” and was euthanised.
- Ipswich was the place for short racing careers when Midnight Blue suffered a fatal injury on the first turn in his 3rd and last start.
Greyhounds raced twice a week; does this contribute to injuries?
Cruikshank had raced a mere three days before his life-ending fall at Ballarat. Big Tac, Vera, Special Bill and Aston Spinel had all run in the race the week leading up to their deaths.
The agony of This Duke Maywyn
This Duke Maywyn was scratched from an Ipswich race meeting due to being “deceased”. Enquiries revealed he had died of a twisted bowel – an agonising death.
Prizemoney no guarantee of a well-earned retirement following injury
The eighteen greyhounds killed in March won close to $170,000 between them. The top earners were Special Bill, not unique enough to his owners, even after a career winning over $50,000.
Mr Blurton, Aston Spinel, Yaramundi Hoover and My Buddy Benny won nearly $65,000 between them but were still killed for treatable injuries.
Rest in peace
02/03/2022 | Bull Montana | Traralgon | VIC | fractured right hock |
03/03/2022 | Big Tac | Gunnedah | NSW | compound fracture near side foreleg |
05/03/2022 | Vera | Wentworth Park | NSW | Offside compound fracture of radius ulna |
08/03/2022 | Final Assassin | Ipswich | QLD | comminuted compound fracture to the near hind leg |
08/03/2022 | My Buddy Benny | Horsham | VIC | left and right hindleg hock fractures |
08/03/2022 | Yaramundi Hoover | Devonport | TAS | open fracture to the radius/ulna of the right foreleg |
09/03/2022 | Loose Leaf Chai | Angle Park | SA | Right front radius/ulna fracture |
14/03/2022 | Cruickshank | Ballarat | VIC | fractured right radius/ulna |
15/03/2022 | Good Girl Gracie | Geelong | VIC | fractured both left and right hocks |
14/03/2022 | Slick Velvet | Bundaberg | QLD | compound fracture of the nearside Radius & Ulna |
13/03/2022 | Swift Sharkey | Coonamble | NSW | Offside compound scapula fracture |
18/03/2022 | Aston Spinel | Geelong | VIC | right foreleg radius/ulna fracture and elbow injuries |
20/03/2022 | Special Bill | Ipswich | QLD | compound fracture to the off foreleg |
22/03/2022 | Mr Blurton | Geelong | VIC | right radius/ulna fracture |
21/03/2022 | Tiger Shian | Ipswich | QLD | serious injury to the near foreleg leg |
22/03/2022 | This Duke Maywyn | Ipswich | QLD | deceased – twisted bowel |
23/03/2022 | Midnight Blue | Ipswich QLD | QLD | Nearside foreleg fracture |
24/03/2022 | Bully Bar | Warragul VIC | VIC | fractured right elbow |
The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG) is a group determined to ban greyhound racing for its cruelty to dogs. Due to the brutality of the greyhound racing industry, CPG believes that people deserve to know the facts and aims to get state governments to change their policies regarding greyhound welfare.
I have emailed my racing minister Grace Grace for a response