Kennel cough hits the greyhound racing community hard where it hurts, on race night at Hatrick

The main event has been canned and many other races depleted at Hatrick Raceway's Friday fixture as kennel cough hits the region.

The highs and lows of greyhound racing have been graphically illustrated over the past week.

Last Friday's Hatrick premier meeting presented an absolute superb evening of high-class chasing action.

Tuesday's Manawatū meeting was completely ravaged with the impact of the highly contagious kennel cough virus hitting.

Just a total 25 greyhounds contested what was a scheduled 12-race card, with two races being completely abandoned. Five of the races completed saw only two greyhounds contesting them.

This evening's Hatrick meeting has been severely impacted, with the main open class 520m event being removed from the card, leaving 11 races to be decided.

The earlier races will see depleted fields being paraded to the starting traps, with just two greyhounds being left to contest the opening 520m event.

As of yesterday, Greyhound Racing NZ (GRNZ) has closed down eight kennels that have greyhounds infected with kennel cough. Included is the potent Lisa Cole kennels.

It was a sublime evening of racing last Friday for Cole, mentoring both Group race winners, plus placing greyhounds on top of the podium in seven other races.

Understandably, Lisa and Brendon Cole are devastated by the enforced kennel shut down.

"We have 700 greyhounds on our property. The costs associated with running the operation are massive," said Brendon.

"We have 12 full-time staff employed on a contract basis here who cannot be let go owing to the work required in just maintaining the dogs.

"People say 'look at the money you have been winning' – what they don't realise is we put every dollar won straight back into the business."

NZ Racing Integrity Unit head greyhound stipendiary Steward Scott Wallis said: "Greyhounds who are scratched pre-meeting or during race meeting kennelling with kennel cough receive a 21-day stand down.

"Under GRNZ protocol any greyhounds accepted from affected kennels for forthcoming meetings are then immediately withdrawn.

"GRNZ then liaises with the trainers involved the procedure they are required to take to resume racing [nominate again]."

Kennel cough is a viral infection which can be quickly transmitted through the air as droplets causing infections to other greyhounds, while human contact can inadvertently transfer the virus.

The virus impacts on respiratory elements of a dog. All pups are compulsory vaccinated, however different strains of the virus can cause havoc within the greyhound population as seen in this current outbreak, which is thought to have originated from a recently imported Australian greyhound.