A young greyhound called Effie died after suffering extreme leg injuries while racing on the failed Taree “super track” on 22 February.
Effie fell in Race 2 and suffered an open comminuted (shattered) fracture of the hindleg and an open fracture of the foreleg. In only her second race, she was euthanased.
The Taree racetrack was promoted as a “super track” and “centre of excellence”, with a host of supposed advanced safety features, when racing resumed in September 2024 after a $6 million upgrade.
However, numerous greyhounds have lost their lives on the track. The Drake Inquiry heard that the track had been built without a safety rail, with two dogs dying from skull or spinal injuries.
While a safety rail was eventually installed at Taree, the Drake Inquiry found that no greyhound track in NSW currently meets minimum standards.
Greyhound Racing NSW recently criticised the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission for refusing to allow racing at Taree at the 400m distance on safety grounds.
GRNSW attempts to downplay the cruelty of greyhound racing by refusing to mention the numbers of dogs that die later from their raceday injuries.
Commissioner Drake stated that: “while there is an appearance of reduced catastrophic injuries, these deaths may be occurring at a similar rate overall, but off-track in the period following racing, rather than on-track”.
For FY25, GRNSW was forced to acknowledge a total of 60 racing deaths: 16 on-track and 44 off-track deaths.
In 2025, Taree was NSW’s deadliest track with three on-track deaths. In addition, another three dogs suffered broken legs and died away from the racetrack.
In the last 128 days on NSW tracks, there have been at least seven dogs that suffered serious injuries – including fractures or bloat – and are now recorded as deceased.
In the last 128 days, CPG has recorded a total of 1291 injuries on NSW tracks (10 per day)
There have been 333 major injuries (2.6 per day – these are Category D)
There have been 119 of the most serious injuries (0.9 per day).
Quotes attributed to Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds spokesperson
“Effie was a young greyhound that suffered unimaginable agony on NSW’s dangerous tracks.
The Drake Inquiry proved that no racetrack meets minimum standards. Every dog that races on a NSW track risks its life, but the industry doesn’t care. The racing minister should have suspended racing until all tracks meet the required standards.
While GRNSW described Taree as the safest track in NSW, it is actually a super-deadly track that highlights the inability of the industry to make racing safe.
Greyhound racing in NSW is under extreme pressure and unsustainable. The number of tracks have been slashed because they can’t afford to make them safe. The president of NSW racing clubs is being investigated for assaulting a greyhound. There are rumours that a major sponsor is quitting. Nationwide, greyhound racing revenue is down up to 10 percent.
GRNSW is only concerned with issuing misleading media statements that ignore the suffering on their tracks.
Their focus is to maintain a false image of greyhound racing. Effie’s fall was quickly removed from the racing video, but the public is not fooled. Greyhound racing kills and it always will.”
Image source: Greyhound Racing NSW website