New South Wales greyhound racing sees drop in injuries

The rate of serious injuries during the most recent spring quarter was lower than in any of the previous five spring quarters.

Australia.- Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has again stressed the decline in racing injuries in New South Wales. The latest Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission (GWIC) report indicates that the rate of serious injuries during the most recent spring quarter was lower than in any of the previous five spring quarters and 91 per cent lower than the spring average over the previous five years

Between May 2025 and the end of February 2026, the number of tarsal fractures affecting the right hindlimb decreased by 42 per cent compared with the previous period.

A GRNSW analysis of Category D injuries, which involve a 28- to 90-day stand-down period, found that right hindlimb injuries accounted for 51 per cent of all cases between July 2023 and February 2026. Among these, 37 per cent involved the tarsus (hock) and 33 per cent affected the back muscles.

The data also showed improvements at several tracks. Wentworth Park recorded one of the largest reductions in tarsal injuries, with cases falling from 28 to nine over the analysed period, while Casino and Ladbrokes Gardens reported relatively low numbers of seven and ten injuries respectively, despite similar racing volumes.

The GWIC also flagged an 87 per cent reduction in on-track euthanasia since the 2017–18 racing season.

GRNSW chief executive officer Steve Griffin said: “While we are naturally pleased to see that serious injury rates have reduced at a substantial rate over the past five years, we’re not resting there with our new strategy that is designed to bring down serious injury rates even further”

“We are continuing to look at all aspects of safety and welfare for our greyhounds, and the results we have seen over the past nine months show that we are making significant headway when it comes to these areas.”

GRNSW has launched a Race Injury Reduction Strategy, which focuses on improving track safety, monitoring injury data and strengthening rehabilitation processes for injured animals. It’s also expanded the role of the Greyhound Care Scheme, placing greater emphasis on the rehabilitation and recovery of injured greyhounds.

Griffin said: “We are exploring a range of innovative strategies to bring serious racing injuries down even further. Our mantra of welfare being paramount and at the forefront of everything we do is not rhetoric and we will continue to work on making our sport in NSW a world leader in welfare and safety,” Griffin added.

See also:

See also: GRNSW reports drop in serious on-track injuries in New South Wales greyhound racing

The rate of serious injuries during the most recent spring quarter was lower than in any of the previous five spring quarters. Australia.- Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has again stressed the decline in racing injuries in New South Wales. The latest Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission (GWIC) report indicates that the rate of serious injuries…