March proves a murderous month for greyhounds

Eighteen greyhounds lost their lives in March in what proved to be a murderous month on Australian tracks.

Victoria and Queensland tied for equal first in the Dog Killing Stakes, with six deaths each. NSW was runner-up with a further three deaths, while South Australia and Tasmania each recorded one unnecessary death.

Deadliest Tracks

Ipswich recorded a horrendous FIVE deaths in March, FOUR IN FOUR DAYS. Geelong recorded THREE deaths in one week.

The Injuries of the murderous month

Virtually all of the fatal injuries resulted from collisions and falls. The overwhelming majority of falls, sixteen, occurred on turns, proving once more that curved tracks are deadly.

There were seven compound fractures, chiefly to the legs.

• Poor Swift Sharkey suffered an agonising compound fracture of the scapula (shoulder) at Coonamble track when he hit the fence, turning into the back straight. He was just two years old and had won $850 in prize money.
• Slick Velvet fell after a collision on a turn, hitting the fence and fracturing the radius and ulna.
• Good Girl Grace fractured both her hocks following a collision at Geelong and could not go on. The on-track vet euthanised her.
• Final Assassin, nearly 3, suffered a comminuted compound fracture of the near hind at Ipswich. These injuries are catastrophic and are likened to being shot or injuries sustained in car accidents. They are agonisingly painful. Final Assassin had won a mere $890 in prize money over a short career of just six starts.
• But for short careers, Tiger Shian is the unlucky “winner”. He finished his two-race career at Ipswich following a “serious injury to the nearside foreleg” and was euthanised.
• Ipswich was the place for short racing careers when Midnight Blue suffered a fatal injury on the first turn in his 3^rd and last start.

Greyhounds raced twice a week; does this contribute to injuries?

Cruikshank had raced a mere three days before his life-ending fall at Ballarat. Big Tac, Vera, Special Bill and Aston Spinel had all run in the race the week leading up to their deaths.

The agony of This Duke Maywyn

This Duke Maywyn was scratched from an Ipswich race meeting due to being “deceased”. Enquiries revealed he had died of a twisted bowel – an agonising death.

Prizemoney no guarantee of a well-earned retirement following injury

The eighteen greyhounds killed in March won close to $170,000 between them. The top earners were Special Bill, not unique enough to his owners, even after a career winning over $50,000.

Mr Blurton, Aston Spinel, Yaramundi Hoover and My Buddy Benny won nearly $65,000 between them but were still killed for treatable injuries.