Swan Bay trainer Allan Ivers does not believe the Maitland surface played a major part in the demise of his dog Sketchy Daly on Monday night after it was one of two put down following injuries on the now closed track.
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Greyhound Racing NSW announced on Tuesday that racing and trialling at Maitland was suspended pending investigations after Monday night's meeting was abandoned following serious injuries in three consecutive races. Six of the 11 events were held before stewards stopped racing because of concerns about the track.
Sketchy Daly was euthanised after suffering a severe fracture to his nearside wrist in race four when checked on the turn.
The Tony Mason-trained No Rules fractured his offside hock in race five and will be sidelined for three months.
Kiarni Devil, for trainer Thomas Roche, was then euthanised after fracturing her nearside radius and ulna when checking heels on the turn in race six.
The surface, which had been harrowed six days earlier, was inspected by stewards before the meeting and they reported that "although soft, the track was not shifty and penetrometer readings were within respective guidelines. The track was deemed safe".
After the injuries, stewards inspected the track with the curator and deemed it "still not shifty". However, after consultation between the chief steward, club manager and curator "there were some concerns with the ability of the drag to fill all imprints in the track surface" and the meeting was halted "in the interest of the welfare of the greyhounds and concerns of several trainers".
Ivers understood the decision given the succession of injuries, but he did not believe his dog's accident was "the track's fault".
"He copped a bit of a check from side on, and then got galloped on from behind," Ivers said. "He just probably stepped the wrong way on the course and he twisted his front leg pretty bad.
"I spoke to a vet quickly, because you don't have a lot of time and we had to come up with options. I never like to put any dogs down but he was in excruciating pain and there was no guarantee his leg was going to be saved.
"It was just a freak accident. I don't think it was the track's fault or anyone's fault, it was just one of those things. Like a footballer getting caught in a tackle the wrong way."
He said it was devastating to lose a "lovely" and "well-liked" dog.
The incidents came at the fourth meeting at Maitland since racing resumed there on April 6 following an 18-day closure under a COVID-19 regionalisation plan. Participants asked GRNSW to reopen Maitland to provide one-turn racing to complement meetings at The Gardens.
However, the future of racing at Maitland is uncertain after GRNSW suspended activity and wrote to the track's owners and operators, the Greyhound Breeders and Owners Association (GBOTA), "seeking immediate explanations".
"GRNSW has dispatched its own expert track team to Maitland this morning and they will conduct a full audit of track work and interview any GBOTA personnel involved in the running of its venue," GRNSW chief Tony Mestrov said on Tuesday.
"I have also today appointed an independent expert on track standards to inspect and provide a full independent report to GRNSW. At the same time, I have requested a parallel investigation by GBOTA, as the track owner and operator.
"... the injuries to greyhounds at Maitland may have been unexpected and an anomaly, however GRNSW's commitment to animal welfare as our number one priority means we will leave no stone unturned to find out what happened."
