The racing death of a greyhound at the Sale track in the weekend and surging injuries on the troubled Traralgon track has put the spotlight on Gippsland’s unsafe greyhound racing.
According to the 13 September 2026 stewards report for the Sale race meeting, in Race 8 “Paw Vince” suffered a fractured hindleg and was euthanased. He died 12 days short of his fourth birthday, in his 121st race.
The other two Gippsland racetracks, at Traralgon and Warragul, are ranked among the worst Victorian tracks for the number of injuries.
The Traralgon track was reopened in April 2026 after a major rebuild, replacing the failure of the previous $6 million upgrade in 2024. In August 2026, the track recorded 38 total injuries, the second-highest number among Australian dog racing tracks. There have been six racing deaths and 132 injuries on the track since the first race in April 2026.
Greyhound Racing Victoria promoted both Traralgon rebuilds as being leading edge, safety-centred and designed to reduce injuries.
The Warragul track is also among the worst tracks in Australia, recording 229 injuries in 2026.
In total, the three Gippsland tracks have recorded at least 17 racing deaths and 508 injuries this year.
Paw Vince was the 50th on-track death of an Australian greyhound track this year; another 75 dogs have died away from tracks from serious racing injuries. Victoria records the highest number of on- and off-track racing deaths in 2026.
A CPG spokesperson said:
“Victorian greyhound tracks are the deadliest in the country. So far this year there have been at least 54 racing deaths in the state, both on-track and off-track.
This is an appalling situation that the government just ignores. There has to be an independent inquiry into Victorian greyhound racing.
The Traralgon track symbolises the inherent dangers of greyhound racing and the impossibility of making it safe.
The $6 million upgrade in 2022 was a deadly disaster, even though it was promoted as innovative and super-safe. The latest rebuild appears to be no different, with a shocking injury toll in its first few months of operation.
Unlike New Zealand, where greyhound racing was recently banned, the racing industry and government have refused to set animal welfare targets. There are no limits to how many greyhounds can die on Victoria’s tracks. They’ll keep dying and being harmed on Gippsland tracks.”
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Stewards report:
https://fasttrack.grv.org.au/RaceField/ViewRaces/1290643683?raceId=-2071245713
Image at top shows Paw Vince struggling on a broken leg, before he was killed.