Whanganui Hatrick Raceway has first greyhound death since reopening

The newly refurbished Hatrick Raceway in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley

A greyhound has died after racing at Whanganui’s Hatrick Raceway – the first death since the track reopened in April.

Twenty-month-old Peace Lolly Rapper was euthanised by a vet after breaking its leg in a fall during a race.

The track resumed races in April after an 18-month shutdown to improve its safety.

Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) racing manager Michael Dore said the track now used preferred box draws – where dogs were allocated a spot in the starting lineup – in just under 70 per cent of its races.

But Peace Lolly Rapper’s injury and death happened in a random box draw.

GRNZ chief executive Edward Rennell said the accident on Friday night was so severe that euthanasia was the most humane action.

“It’s sadly one of those things that happens but, through all the initiatives we’re putting in place, hopefully we minimise those.

“It’s the same as the equine codes, sometimes bad things happen.”

Whanganui averages an injury rate of 5.8 per 1000 starters that require a stand-down period of more than 21 days. The national average is 6.3.

In the previous season, the average was 7.

Dore said the Whanganui racetrack had not been upgraded for 20 years until the 2021 revamp.

“A routine maintenance plan for a major upgrade had not been put into the cycle as it should have been.

“Our new racing safety manager said every 12 to 15 years you’ve got to close the track and do that major upgrade, but it wasn’t programmed then. We’re certainly doing it now.”

The surface was rebuilt with specific dune sand brought in from Bainesse, near Palmerston North.

But SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) campaign manager Anna de Roo said injuries and deaths would continue as long as the industry operated.

The organisation continues to urge the Government to ban greyhound racing.

“Injuries are common and, even if they survive, many greyhounds suffer from lifelong health complications as a result,” de Roo said.

“We have seen four separate reviews in the last decade, all uncovering significant animal welfare concerns.”

In 2021, the Chronicle reported on nine greyhounds dying in just nine months at the Hatrick Raceway.

“There might have been a bit of a habit of talking about problems previously, and you can talk about them until you’re blue in the face, but if you don’t take action they won’t improve,” Dore said.

Rennell said there had been a “change in attitude across the greyhound racing industry”.

A GRNZ rehabilitation to rehoming scheme had seen a significant drop in the number of greyhounds being euthanised.

“That means if a dog’s injured and it can be operated on and have a worthwhile life afterwards, we meet the cost of that surgery.

“We’ve taken economics out of the equation for owners.”

Whanganui Animal Justice Party candidate Sandra Kyle said an immediate ban was required on all greyhound racing activities in New Zealand.

“It just highlights the fact that greyhound racing cannot be ‘fixed’ and needs to be banned, here in Whanganui, and all over the country.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.