Greyhound Racing NSW was all swagger before the launch of the rebuilt $3m Muswellbrook racetrack in the Hunter Valley on 16 April 2023.
In a press release, GRNSW head Rob Macaulay said the track will offer “another state-of-the-art venue in the region to race at, along with The Gardens in Newcastle and the Maitland track.”
The “Grand Opening” signified a “very exciting time” for the region.
But then the facts got in the way of the propaganda.
Journalist Darren Cutrupi, from local radio station 2NM, uncovered a few stories that stopped the spin.
The Grand Opening rapidly became “controversial”, with “Integrity of greyhound racing in the Upper Hunter under question”.
2NM interviewed the President of the Muswellbrook Greyhound Racing Club, which had operated for 90 years before it was taken over by GRNSW. The Club was locked out and their lease made void in the “hostile” takeover.
Macaulay refused to comment.
Then it emerged that a few days before the Grand Opening, a man in his sixties was hit by the race lure and “hurled through the air”. Paramedics took him to hospital with a deep laceration to an arm.
The Safechase lure system is one of the new safety features. As usual, GRNSW refused to comment, but Safework NSW is investigating.
Then, the “integrity” of greyhound racing in the region was again questioned for the “fourth day in a row”.
NSW Police confirmed an active investigation is underway into claims of misappropriation of funds from the racing club.
The launch of the track itself had been delayed for several months due to problems, but at the first race meeting, one dog was injured and another was removed due to flea infestation.
Macaulay repeated the marketing spin that the “safety and welfare of our animal is paramount”, but that’s not reassuring when you look at the track records of the other “state-of-the-art” racetracks in the region.
Since 2020, more than 1,300 dogs have been killed or injured at the Maitland and The Gardens tracks. More will die at the new Muswellbrook track, thanks to taxpayer money.
Source:
Radio 2NM https://www.2nm.com.au/local-news/integrity-of-greyhound-racing-in-the-upper-hunter-under-question/