By Violet Li
Greyhound racing will come back to Cranbourne in late 2026 as an injection of $4 million from the State Government has locked in a much-needed rebuild.
The old greyhound track at Cranbourne Racecourse was closed in 2022 after racing incidents. The old track’s design was regarded as unsafe back then.
Construction work for the new track is expected to start late this year and finish within an estimated twelve months.
Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines visited the Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club on Thursday 27 March to announce the $4 million inflow through the Victorian Racing Industry Fund.
The cash injection will bring the total cost of the track redevelopment project to approximately $9.5 million, on top of the $2 million contribution from the club and $3.5 million from Greyhound Racing Victoria.
According to the club chief executive officer Andrew Fennell, the upgraded racetrack will feature the latest safety standards to address the concerns that saw racing suspended at the track in 2022.
It will include a widened track base, an upgraded racing surface, improved lighting and advanced drainage systems, which all contribute to a safer racing condition.
He also emphasised that the new track would have modern practices in the designs, and it was designed purposely for the race distances.
The club will introduce new animal welfare features, including purpose-built holding and viewing pens and modern wash bays to ensure the health, comfort and care of racing greyhounds.
Further safety measures will include fixed starts at 650 metres, 420 metres and 330 metres, removal of drop-on boxes, a traditional cable lure and the newer Safechase system.
The Safechase system has improved monitoring technology to identify risk and safety patterns.
Mr Fennell said the old track had been around for 48 years and had a lot of repairs, maintenance, and a couple of refurbs.
When the racing incidents happened in 2022, the club closed the venue and planned to rebuild straight away.
“Because of different circumstances, financial and so forth, it’s taken a little bit longer to get to the point where we’re now,” he said.
Racing Minister Mr Carbines said the local region is home to 200 greyhound trainers, making it the biggest group in Victoria.
He said the trainers and their greyhounds would not need to travel afar to Sandown and Warragul to train when the new track was completed.
“That means more time at home, more time with their families,” he said.
Jihad Talgi, a Devon Meadows trainer who has been in the industry for 25 years, said he was excited about the coming new track.
He lives a five-minute drive away from the Cranbourne track, but for the last two years after its closure, he travelled everywhere to try and find a suitable track for the dog, which very often involved an hour and a half on the car.
“It was disappointing because we educated our dogs on that track too,” he said.
“The news is very exciting and refreshing.”
Greyhound Racing Victoria chief executive officer Stuart Laing, who was also at the announcement ceremony, spoke about the economic importance of the Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club in the region.
Prior to the closure of its racing activities in 2022, the club conducted 70 race meetings and over 15,000 trials each year on average.
In 2021, the year before its racing track closure, the club conducted 89 racing meetings, involving 1,318 active participants and distributing over $4 million in prize money and returns.
By 2030, Greyhound Racing training and breeding activity in the City of Casey is projected to support close to 300 full-time equivalent jobs, according to a review of the track redevelopment program.
“Over the next five years, the cumulative economic uplift stimulated by this new track development project has been estimated at $23.5 million,” Mr Laing said.
“That’s quite a significant investment into this region and it creates jobs but also sustains and maintains jobs and economic development.”
Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards said it was a fantastic result for the racing community in Cranbourne.
“Backing the upgrade will boost our local economy, bringing together racing enthusiasts, friends and families for a great night out,” she said.
