Greynews

Another greyhound killed at track slated as diabolical

Spectators at Yarmouth greyhound stadium were horrified when, in the ninth race of the evening meeting on Wednesday 22 October, Bluestone Lane ‘brokedown’ and was carried off the track yelping in agony.
The beautiful blue male had suffered a hind leg fracture, with eye witness accounts suggesting a femur having snapped.
Anne Cossey, who shared ownership of the greyhound with trainer George Parker, said: “If there had been anyway, I would have saved him, but I don’t really want a three legged dog… you know if people see a three legged greyhound up the road its not a very good advert is it?”
Bluestone Lane was just 2 ½ years old and the 3rd greyhound Mrs Cossey has lost through injury.
The average age for a dog to retire from racing at Yarmouth is just 3 years, 5 months and the average number of races completed is 48.
Due to injury, however, many greyhounds will see far fewer races and safety at Yarmouth has been a contentious issue for many years with trainers describing the track as both “diabolical” and an “absolute tip.”
An inconsistent surface (said to be due to grading and drainage) and the inside rail are given as reasons for an appalling number of injuries and fatalities.
It is, however, widely acknowledged that the character of greyhound tracks - with fast straights leading into tight bends - is the primary reason for a very high rate of injuries that can be found at all stadiums.
It is a subject that racing officials remain very tight-lipped about despite a recommendation within a Parliamentary Group report on greyhound welfare that the “industry should be required by law… to record and publish annual injuries to greyhounds on a central database.”
The main organisation collecting such data is the Racecourse Promoters Association (RCPA) who has turned down all requests for information.
The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) hold figures relating to greyhounds PTS following injury but are equally guarded.
And the reason for their silence is, of course, obvious; with research indicating a five figure number for injuries incurred annually on tracks that come under the regulation of the NGRC, and hundreds of greyhounds PTS solely on economic grounds the information would prove highly damaging for the business of greyhound racing.













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