December 2023 kills nine greyhounds

Nine greyhounds died racing in December.  In total one hundred and twenty dogs lost their lives on Australian tracks in 2023. It is certain more greyhounds were killed following racing injuries, spirited away from the tracks and taken to vets around the country to be euthanised the next day.

Bianca’s Son was the favourite in his race when he hit the running rail at top speed and fractured his skull. Blow The Whistle came second in his race before breaking his carpal bone in the catching pen. And Repeat Dose is seen in the race video limping gamely over the finish line in last position after fracturing her tarsal bones in both hindlegs. All three plus six more greyhounds were killed by on track vets in December 2023.

Pictor Scion, just a pup at twenty months, was one of three greyhounds who collided and fell at the first turn in race 1 at Ballarat track, Victoria, on 2^nd December. The race video is distressing to watch, Pictor Scion is seen flipping over and over. She fractured her right humerus and “failed to finish”. Pictor Scion’s career lasted less than three months. She was killed by the on track vet after her ninth and final race. Stewards inspected the track following this tragic race and deemed it “satisfactory for racing”.

The same day at Warragul track, Victoria, Blue Tungsten is seen in the video of race 7 careening off to the outside of the track following a collision. He fell and “failed to finish” due to a fractured right humerus. The on track vet killed him soon after. Blue Tungsten was about to turn three and had won nearly $50,000 in his twenty nine start “career”.

On December 4 at Gunnedah track in NSW two year old Greek Wanderer suffered a “catastrophic injury” to his near foreleg in race 11. He had collided with another greyhound and fell. The race video is “unavailable” as Greyhound Racing NSW prefers people not to see the reality of greyhound racing. Greek Wanderer was killed by the on track vet. He had raced thirteen times.

On 4^th December three year old Blow The Whistle ran second in race 8 at Sandown track, Victoria. However an “incident in the catching pen” meant he was killed by the on track vet shortly after due to a carpal fracture. Blow The Whistle had raced sixty times and his last, tragic race was the “Greyhounds Entertainment” race.

On December 13 in Darwin, NT, three year old Repeat Dose was running in her seventy sixth start when she broke down on the home turn in race 3. Despite fracturing the tarsal bones in both her hindlegs Repeat Dose can be seen in the race video painfully limping over the finish line, a distant last. The on track vet killed her not long after her last tragic race.

Bianca’s Son, just two years old, was  running in his fourteenth start on December 15 at Wagga Wagga, NSW, when he collided with the running rail at the first turn and fractured his skull. Greyhound Racing NSW has edited the video of race 9 so Bianca’s Son’s horrific accident cannot be viewed. He was the race favourite but he was still killed by the on course vet soon after.

In Mandurah WA on December 19^th, two year old Welsh Warrior was running in race 12 when he “pulled up just past the post”. He had suffered a fractured left foreleg. It was his twentieth start and he was killed by the on track vet.

The same day, two year old Braemar Murphy collided with another greyhound in race 8 at Warragul Victoria. He broke down and “failed to finish”. Braemar Murphy had fractured his right humerus and was despatched by the on course vet.

And just a couple of days before Christmas, on December 23^rd, veteran greyhound Belle Violin fractured her right hock at Cannington track, WA. She was nearly four and had been raced seventy nine times winning over $100,000 for her connections. Belle Violin had “broken down” at the first turn in race 7 and “failed to finish”. There was no Christmas cheer for her as she was killed by the on track vet.