Dogs narrowly escape serious injury at Towcester Greyhound Racing event

Work is underway to make improvements at Towcester Racecourse after a trap malfunction during a major greyhound race.

The trap failure on December 27 occurred where the lids opened too slowly, with the greyhounds forcing their way out. My Girl Mia was one of the greyhounds particularly affected. The race was immediately stopped and the dogs were all taken back to the kennels to be assessed by trainers and a vet.

There have been reports on social media that the traps have failed before and that some trainers have now pulled their dogs out of the Towcester races in fear or injury. Reports of over-racing and poor track maintenance have also been made by many via Twitter.

When asked for a comment about the trap failure and previous issues about the standards of the Towcester track, a spokesperson for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), the regulator for licensed greyhound racing said: “The welfare of greyhounds is paramount within licensed greyhound racing and through our rules of racing we seek to promote and protect their health and safety at all times. We are working closely with Towcester Stadium to rectify the situation in order to further safeguard the greyhounds racing there.’

Towcester Racecourse was also approached by the Chronicle & Echo for comment about the incident and claims of over-racing.

Kevin Boothby, Towcester Racecourse Managing Director and promoter of the Towcester greyhound track, said: “We experienced an unforeseen mechanical issue where some greyhounds were slightly impeded when exiting the traps in one of our 12 races on Tuesday, December 27. All greyhounds were immediately inspected by our onsite veterinary team and returned to their kennels without injury.

“As greyhound racing’s premiere UK venue, we strive to achieve the highest welfare standards and provide enjoyable lives for greyhounds before, during and after their racing careers in line with the GBGB’s ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’ strategy.

“We do not want a repeat of Tuesday’s events and will be replacing our current pneumatic starting mechanism with a spring-loaded system as part of our major investment to provide a safe and secure racing environment.”

The Towcester Racecourse PR team also stated: “The incident is entirely unrelated to excessive racing, it is standard for greyhound racing venues in the UK to operate multiple times a week.”

The Greyhound Bet online publication also spoke to promoter Kevin Boothby and said: “Boothby recognises that confidence in Towcester, and the starting traps, is at an all-time low.”

With the sport dwindling in race track numbers, Towcester is now one of only 20 licensed venues in the UK.