Greyhound killed after "incident" in trainers area at Mount Gambier Greyhound Club, race sponsor O'Brien says it does not associate with "events associated with any form of animal cruelty"
A greyhound at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Club dog racetrack. (Facebook: Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club)
A greyhound was killed in suspicious circumstances 9 days ago at the Mount Gambier dog racetrack, as part of South Australia's daily program of dog racing held by Greyhound Racing South Australia.
The greyhound was killed at the Tara Raceway in Mount Gambier on January 19, after what was ambiguously termed an "incident in the catching area" in an official race report, written by officials working for Greyhound Racing South Australia.
The "catching area" is the holding area at the end of the each dog race, where owners and trainers collect their dogs once they have ceased sprinting around the track.
The incident was severe enough for the greyhound to have had her foreleg broken, after completing the race without any collisions that may have caused the broken leg, according to the race report, but no further details of the exact nature of the incident were listed by Greyhound Racing South Australia.
Footage of the incident is not available through the race replay video released by Greyhound Racing South Australia.
Dr. Craig Finlayson (right). (Facebook: Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club)
After the catching area incident that broke her leg, the greyhound was euthanised by Greyhound Racing South Australia’s on-course veterinary surgeon, Dr. Craig Finlayson, who also runs a vet service in Victoria named Warrnambool Quality Vet Care.
Dr. Finlayson holds his registration as a veterinarian in the state of Victoria.
The rules of greyhound racing, as stipulated by the Australian regulator, Greyhounds Australasia, state that any veterinary surgeons appointed by greyhound racing organisations—including Greyhound Racing South Australia—may have their “powers and duties specified” by the racing organisations that appoint them.
Contacted last week for comment about another greyhound death at the Mount Gambier racetrack that he oversaw on January 5, Dr. Craig Finlayson claimed that his employment contract with South Australia’s greyhound racing regulator prevents him from speaking publicly about his veterinarian work at greyhound races.
After being contacted for comment last week regarding Dr. Finlayson’s assertion, a spokesperson for Greyhound Racing South Australia provided a written statement on January 28 disputing the claim, writing: “Dr. Finlayson’s contract does not preclude him from speaking with the media.”
*
The greyhound who lost her life on January 19 was just 1 year and 9 months old at the time of her death, and had been assigned a racing name of "Miss Classique". She was owned by the "Champagne Ptn" greyhound racing syndicate—a group of people who together purchase shares in ownership of a racing greyhound—and trained by Peter Crawley, a resident of Mortlake, a small town in Victoria.
"Miss Classique" had been made to sprint in her first race only 2 months earlier, in November 2019, and had since been transported and made to race between the Mount Gambier and Warrnambool dog racetracks 8 times, earning her owners $605. She was forced to race 4 times in the month of December 2019, and 3 times in January 2020.
The incident leading to the death of "Miss Classique" occurred after the first race of the day, which was financially sponsored by O'Brien Electrical, a division of the glass, plumbing and electrical corporation O'Brien, which, with franchises in every Australian state and territory, markets itself as "one of Australia's most trusted brands".
A page from O’Brien’s website.
Another greyhound was injured in the race sponsored by O’Brien Electrical on January 19, with the greyhound “Especial Envy” sustaining a foreleg injury severe enough for Dr. Finlayson to deem he should be “stood down” from racing for 60 days.
O'Brien Electrical has continued to sponsor greyhound racing in Mount Gambier since the death of "Miss Classique", sponsoring a race just 4 days after her death, on January 23.
Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the O'Brien Head Office stated: "We are saddened to hear of the circumstances surrounding this event. Our sponsorship policy states that we do not associate our brand with events that are associated with any form of animal cruelty."
"We are in the process of reviewing the governance, control and communication of this policy and will be managing this with all our local franchisees and employees."
*
The death of "Miss Classique" in Mount Gambier brings the total of racing deaths—as reported by Greyhound Racing South Australia—to 3 in South Australia, within the first 19 days of the year. Another dog, "Pack It In", was killed at the Mount Gambier racetrack on January 5, after he broke his hind leg while being made to sprint during a race, and yet another met his death at the Gawler racetrack on January 10, also suffering a broken hind leg during a race and consequently being killed by the on-course vet, Dr. Michelle Hague.
The Tara Raceway, part of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club, is advertised as "The Family-Friendly Track", and overseen by Greyhound Racing South Australia.
Greyhound trainer Peter Crawley. (Mount Gambier Greyhound Club)
Two more greyhounds were assessed to have injuries by Dr. Finlayson at the Mount Gambier racing day event on January 19, with one greyhound sustaining a hind leg “spike wound”, and another, assigned the racing name of “Wanchai Express”, sustaining a broken hind leg in the eighth race of the day, leading Dr. Finlayson to determine he should be “stood down” from racing for just 60 days.
The greyhound “Wanchai Express” is owned by Leslie Stewart, and trained by Nicole Stanley, a resident of Portland. At 3 years and 8 months old, he has been made to 96 times in his short lifetime.
The racing events held by Greyhound Racing South Australia at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club take place weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays, and fall within the boundaries of the Council of the City of Mount Gambier.
Contacted for comment on the deaths of both "Miss Classique" and "Pack It In" this month, a spokesperson for the Mount Gambier Council declined to respond to specific questions about the deaths, but did note that, despite the involvement of animals at the racing club, the Council’s involvement with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club was viewed by the Council as being equivalent to their regulation of other sporting clubs in the local area.
“Any involvement Council has with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club relates to standard regulation of sporting clubs consistent with the approach to other clubs within our council boundary,” the spokesperson wrote.
The headquarters of Greyhound Racing South Australia, in Angle Park, South Australia. (Photograph: Matilda Duncan)
All greyhound racing in South Australia is overseen by Greyhound Racing South Australia, an organisation chaired by Grantley Stevens—who is also a partner at the accountancy and business consultancy firm, Nexia Edwards Marshall—and headed by Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Corby. Prior to working at Greyhound Racing South Australia, Corby worked at Tabcorp Holdings, the corporation that currently provides betting services through TAB for gambling on greyhound racing in Australia.
Responding to a request for comment on both the death of Miss Classique and the death on January 5 of the greyhound "Pack It In", a spokesperson for Greyhound Racing South Australia stated that the organisation was “greatly saddened” by the two deaths, and that a previous statement provided to this publication about their oversight of greyhound welfare in the state “still stands true”.
“Once again, the injuries were of a serious nature,” the spokesperson wrote, “with the most humane option for both cases being humane euthanasia in the opinion of the on-course veterinarian.”
Yet despite the organisation's assurances about the welfare of racing greyhounds, Greyhound Racing South Australia failed to respond to additional questioning from this publication regarding the high number of injuries greyhounds have sustained at racetracks around South Australia this year, with over 58 greyhound injuries "detected" by on-course veterinarians employed by the regulator within the first 20 days of January, including multiple leg bone fractures.
Greyhound Racing South Australia also refused to answer basic questions about the catching area "incident" that led to the death of Miss Classique at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club, and refused to specify the types of incidents that might occur in a racetrack catching area that could lead to the death of a greyhound while it was not racing.
*