Greyhound Racing NSW has announced the immediate and indefinite suspension of racing at the Gosford Greyhounds facility.
Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) made the announcement following a site inspection performed by GRNSW and the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association (GBOTA).
The two groups found that the state of the track posed a significant risk to the dogs and deemed it unusable, cancelling all future racing at Gosford until major works to rectify the track were completed. In making the decision, GRNSW released the following statement: “… racing at the Gosford GBOTA track will be suspended indefinitely due to increased welfare and safety concerns as a result of ongoing track legacy issues. “As a result of the increased racing at Gosford over the recent months, a legacy issue whereby previous management practices and the erosion of the track base, have resulted in a significant stone matter being present within the racing profile. “The stone issue and track base issues can no longer be managed appropriately.
“In conjunction with the NSW GBOTA, GRNSW will look to develop a project plan and timeline whereby the Gosford GBOTA track base and track profile will be redeveloped to improve safety and welfare standards. “At this time GRNSW will also look to increase the track cambers and grades. “The next four meetings scheduled at Gosford up to March 20, will now be transferred to the Maitland GBOTA track.
Source: Media release, Feb 21 GRNSW Media