Townsville rake incident sparks process changes
13 April 2021
Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) Greyhound Stewards have implemented state-wide procedural changes after Townsville Greyhound Club and QRIC officials made four critical errors when a rake was left against the starting box in race 8 at Townsville on 30 March.
An investigation report into the incident determined that;
- The Track Curator failed to remove the rake after performing race preparation duties following race 7,
- The official Starter failed to ensure the starting boxes were clear for racing prior to directing handlers to box the greyhounds for race 8,
- The QRIC Steward positioned at the starting boxes failed to notify the Steward in charge of the rake, prior to signalling for the All Clear, and
- The patrol footage was not reviewed by the QRIC Stewards’ panel prior to the event being declared All Clear.
Chief Greyhound Steward Alex Kitching said the investigation showed greyhound racing procedures required change to ensure a similar incident does not occur in future.
The Stewards Investigation Report is published on the QRIC website.
ENDS.
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