by Warren Young, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds
A recent post on social media from CPG mentioned NSW greyhound racing trainer Melinda Finn won the 2024 Trainer of the year award, despite a doping violation. I found this to be literally incredible, so this article will expand on this disturbing case and the message that it presents.
As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2017, Melinda Finn was found guilty of racing dogs she trained with a prohibited substance in the system (EPO) on four occasions in 2015. She was penalised with a ban for 12 years, and was the first trainer to be found guilty of injecting EPO in her greyhounds. While people in the industry thought this was a harsh penalty, you might recall that cyclist Lance Armstrong was handed a life ban for repeated use of EPO. Melinda Finn appealed her 12 year ban, and the appeal was upheld, downgrading the penalty to only 2 ½ years.
EPO is life-threatening for greyhounds
Injecting erythropoietin (EPO) or “blood doping” is an illegal practice in all sport- because it has the potential to enhance performance, especially in endurance sports. A review of the evidence for the benefits of EPO was found to be inconclusive for endurance sports, but is even less likely to be of value for sprint events like greyhound racing. Nevertheless, according to Greyhounds Australasia, the use of EPO is a banned practice because it can…
Lead to an increased concentration of red blood cells in the racing greyhound, which leads to increased oxygen transporting capacity and reduces the effects of fatigue on the muscles. This can increase performance in the racing greyhound. These substances all have serious welfare concerns in the racing greyhounds as they have been linked to cardiac arrest, infarctions of vital organs and cerebral hemorrhage.
In 2019, Melinda Finn was also found guilty of possessing shock collars, which are classified as a device “that is capable of inflicting undue suffering on a greyhound”. She was given a $300 fine, which was suspended in full, amounting to no more than a slap on the wrist.
Now a highly regarded trainer, Melinda Finn has just been awarded the title of NSW Trainer of the year for 2024. In that year, she produced 165 winners from 755 starts, and her dogs won $1,056,495 in prize money.
What does this case tell us about the greyhound racing industry in general?
There are a few points to take away:
- Some greyhound trainers will do whatever it takes to win, even if it puts their dogs lives at risk, and is prohibited.
- EPO has doubtful benefits for sprint events, so it seems trainers will throw anything at their dogs to get an edge and a slice of the lucrative prize money on offer. There are many other illegal and dangerous drugs that trainers have used.
- The racing industry is clearly not serious about integrity if a trainer who is a serial offender can not only be allowed to continue training dogs, but is promoted as an exemplar for trainers.
Tasmanian greyhound trainer, Anthony Bullock was recently awarded the Leading Trainer title, an accolade he has been granted many times before. This was controversial because he initially received a life ban after a native marsupial tail was found on a lure at his training property. The penalty was successfully quashed after lawyers convinced Tasracing that there was no proof the trainer was aware of the animal tail. Regardless, this model “pinup boy” trainer has been shown to neglect his greyhounds, as presented by an ABC report. This treatment of greyhounds hardly represents the ideal training and living environment for dogs, supposedly loved and regarded as “elite athletes”.