New GRNSW CEO Steve Griffin has had a hostile reaction to his first idea on the job – reintroduce 10-dog racing fields.
Griffin said that expanding the number of dogs in a race would improve the industry’s financial outlook: “It’s about creating a product that bettors find attractive”.
However, racing participants were quick to disagree. Comments on social media included:
“10 dog fields sounds crazy to me”
“We had 10 dog racing on the old Richmond Straight Track in the 60’s, It was done away with because there was too much interference, To go back to those days would be disastrous”
“It’s not about the dog it’s all about turnover”
“One word for 10 dog fields at Richmond NO I’d laugh if it wasn’t so serious Honestly”
“Get a wider runner in 1 and instead of colliding with 7 you now get to collide with 9 lol”
“There’s not enough dogs to fill fields now”
Turning the clock back: a recipe for disaster
Griffin is copying a proposal that Racing Queensland announced in September 2024 for 10-dog races on straight tracks.
The Racing Queensland CEO – now resigned – said their strategy was to find the “optimum field size” for wagering, and ten-dog racing would “put more confidence in exotic pools in particular and drive liquidity”.
The maximum number of greyhounds in a race in Australia is currently eight; in the UK, it is six.
Numerous studies have shown that six-dog racing is safer than larger fields. The SA Government’s 2023 Ashton Inquiry into greyhound racing said that more six-dog fields would “significantly reduce” on-track injuries
A CPG spokesperson said:
“GRNSW wants to turn the clock back to the 1960s when 10-dog racing was last seen in Australia, and when animal welfare was non-existent.
The greyhound racing industry’s own research proves that six-dog racing is the safest form and larger fields are more dangerous. Ten dogs chasing a lure at up to 70kmh is a recipe for disaster.
The move is a blatant strategy to increase wagering revenue by offering a new product, but greyhounds are not products whose lives can be gambled with.
Mr Griffin repeats the buzz phrase that animal welfare is paramount but the public isn’t fooled.”