April 2024 is month of carnage for greyhounds

April 2024 proved to be the deadliest month for several years when a total of eighteen greyhounds were killed on Australian racetracks.

Veteran racer and money spinner Springtime Storm was killed for his injury despite winning nearly $75,000 over his seventy one start “career”, while Really Deceiving was the youngest greyhound to die at a heartbreaking young age of seventeen months in his second, and last, start. And while Western Australia has only three greyhound tracks, it has killed more greyhounds this year per head of population than any other state.

Atomic Jax, not yet three, was running in race 4 at Traralgon track, Victoria on April 3 when he collided with other greyhounds on the first turn. He had suffered a right hock fracture AND a left radius/ulna fracture just seconds into the race. Atomic Jax obviously could not finish his thirty ninth race and was killed by the on track vet shortly afterwards. Stewards inspected the track afterwards and deemed it “satisfactory” for racing.

On April 10 at Rockhampton track in Queensland, young Wise Men Listen was running in race one when she fell at the first turn and fractured her left foreleg. It was the end of her five start, seven week “career” as the on track vet killed her after the race. Wise Men Listen was only twenty three months old.

The next day at Warrnambool, Victoria, little Lektra Abbi, who turned two years old the day before, broke down on the first turn after fracturing her right hock. The race video shows her pulling back sharply yet she gamely ran on despite her broken leg, finishing behind the rest of the field. For her efforts she was killed by the on track vet. Lektra Abbi had been forced to race twelve times.

The same day, April 11, two year old Marty’s Delight was running in race two at Mt Gambier track in South Australia when he collided with other runners and fell in the back straight turn. The video shows him falling then flipping over helplessly. He could not finish with a fractured  right foreleg. It was only his second race and Marty’s Delight was killed by the on track vet soon after it.

Four year old veteran Springtime Storm was running in his seventy first race at Ipswich Queensland on April 13 when he broke his foreleg on the first turn in race six. The race video is “unavailable”. Despite having won his connections over $74,000 Springtime Storm was killed by the on course vet and “routine samples were collected from the greyhound”.

The next day at Richmond track in NSW two year old Little Monster saved everyone the bother of having to euthanase her when she simple dropped dead on the track after running third in race seven. Her body was transported to a local vet clinic for an autopsy. Little Monster’s career had lasted only two races in eleven days.

On April 16 at Warragul track in Victoria little Valencia Bella, the smallest greyhound in race twelve, was “checked” by other greyhounds in the home turn. The race video shows her pulling up sharply, her mouth open in agony. With her right humerus broken, she stands on the track turning this way and that, looking for help. Instead she was killed by the on track vet. Valencia Bella had raced over forty times and was three years old.

Back at Traralgon track in Victoria on April 19 Udellar Bale, three and a half, broke down on the home turn in race twelve. On the race video he is shown tailing off behind the rest of the race, and no wonder, as he had fractured his left tibia. It was his first race after a two months’ break, and his last. After eighty two starts and over $34,000 in prizemoney Udellar Bale was killed by the on course vet.

On April 21 at Mt Gambier track, South Australia, nineteen month old puppy Menari One was checked, stumbled and fell approaching the home turn in race one. His left hind tibia was fractured. The race video is not available. Menari One was running in only his second race. The on track vet killed him soon after.

April 22 was a shocking day for greyhounds- two were killed in Victoria on separate tracks and a further two were killed in Western Australia, both in the same race.

Warrnambool track saw the death of Who Knows Chloe, just a few days short of her fourth birthday. She fell in the back straight turn in race two and the video shows her falling and cartwheeling along the track. Who Knows Chloe had suffered a fractured neck. She had been forced to race a whopping one hundred and twenty two times. She was killed by the on track vet.

At Shepparton track three year old  Gangsta Paradise fractured his spine in race six. His fall is shown on the race video. He goes down, legs flailing, after being “checked” on the first turn. Gangsta Paradise had earned his connections nearly $40,000 in prizemoney over his seventy five start “career”. The on track vet killed him shortly after the race.

Cannington track saw the racing deaths of two greyhounds in the same race. Three year old Cheetah Magic collided with other greyhounds FOUR times throughout the race before coming third, only to break her right foreleg in the catching pen post race. It was her forty second race. Bee Queen, two and a half, broke down on the home turn. In the race video she is seen pulling back abruptly at the moment her right hock breaks. She had raced thirty eight times.

Back in NSW at Casino track on April 25 Down There Tina fell in the first few seconds of race six and suffered an agonising compound fracture of her tibia and fibula on the off side hind leg. A compound fracture usually means the bone is sticking out of the skin. The stewards report chillingly reads “the greyhound was humanely euthanised at the request of connections”. Down There Tina had raced six times.

And just a week after four greyhounds were killed on the one day, April 29 saw the untimely deaths of a further four dogs. Once again two were killed in Victoria and two in Western Australia.

Two and a half year old Zipping Siri was running in race twelve at Ballarat when she broke down on the home straight. The race video shows her tailing off but she runs on awkwardly due to a fractured hock. She had raced fifty four times. Zipping Siri was killed by the on track vet. In Shepparton young Kraken Loop, only just two, was severely checked coming into the home straight turn and fell. In the video she is seen skidding across the track on her side. Kraken Loop had fractured her left radius and was killed by the on course vet after this, her fifth race.

The same day two greyhounds were killed at Northam track in Western Australia. They shared the same trainer. The trainer arrived with four greyhounds and left with two. In race one Really Deceiving, the youngest greyhound to be killed racing this year at only seventeen months, was part of a four dog pile up on the first turn. In the video he checks suddenly but keeps running on behind the rest of the race. Really Deceiving had fractured his right hock. The on track vet killed him after the race. It had been only his second race. Later in race five Apollo Fun, four years old, collided several times with another greyhound and the whole race was more like a demolition derby with multiple greyhounds colliding constantly on the first turn. Apollo Fun tailed off and ran last. He too had fractured his right hock. He too was killed by the on track vet after his race. Apollo Fun had been forced to race eighty three times.