MAJOR FINAL FAREWELL PLANNED FOR WENTWORTH PARK

GRNSW

A full house is guaranteed at the iconic Wentworth Park racetrack after it was announced today the Sydney racetrack will bid farewell to greyhound racing with a spectacular evening on October 16.

The final race meeting after 96 years of greyhound racing at Wentworth Park, will be showcased by the running of the world’s richest greyhound race the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase after an early exit from the venue was negotiated between the Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association (GBOTA) and the NSW Government.

In December last year Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) was informed by the Minister for Racing the Hon David Harris that the lease on Wentworth Park would not be extended beyond September 2027. Since that time both GRNSW and the GBOTA have been looking at an early exit from the facility.

“Just as we did when we left Dapto before the end of that lease last year, we felt it was appropriate and necessary that Wentworth Park be given the fitting farewell it deserved,” GRNSW Chief Executive Officer Steve Griffin said.

“It just wouldn’t have been right to allow the venue to peter out with the end of the lease, this way we will make it the biggest night to remember for all in our sport, and all those who want to come along and reminisce.

“As we have seen over the years since its inception, the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase attracts a large crowd ever year, but we’re now expecting a crowd like no other will pack Wentworth Park for this final farewell.”

Mr Griffin labelled media suggestions that the early exit from Wentworth Park were driven by “sustained criticism of animal cruelty” and “the sustainability of the industry,” as beyond ludicrous.

“Again, this is nothing more than rhetoric driven by the anti-racing and anti-gambling brigade and honestly it is beyond ludicrous,” he said.

“Our welfare is the best it has ever been with serious injury rates plummeting and on track deaths at an all-time low.

“This move is not, as some has suggested the beginning of the end for the sport, in fact this is the start of a new era for greyhound racing in NSW and it was time for us to move on to create the next chapter for the sport. The venue no longer suited our participants who are largely located outside the Sydney basin.”

Greyhound racing commenced at Wentworth Park in 1932 and has been fixture on the sporting the calendar ever since, becoming the sole Sydney city racetrack in 1987 with the closure of Harold Park.

“It will naturally be a very sad time for many in our sport and the hundreds of thousands who have at one time or another spent a “night at the dogs at Wenty”,” Mr Griffin reflected.

“I know personally I have so many wonderful memories of Saturday nights spent at Wentworth Park and it’s amazing how many people – regardless of their current walk of life – who can regale stories of their own nights spent at Wenty.”

The early exit from Wentworth Park has come after the GBOTA entered into a deed with the NSW Government to leave Wentworth Park by November 30 this year, which means that to make good the site, the final race meeting would need to be held six weeks before that time, which aligns perfectly with the schedule for the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase.

“As our premier venue in NSW, Wentworth Park holds a special place in the hearts of people in our industry, but I’m sure you will also find that it has positively impacted so many others who have spent a night here at the dogs,” GBOTA Chief Executive Daniel Weizman said.

“We have worked with the Government in recent months and determined that the most appropriate time to exit Wentworth Park will be at the end of November, which allows the last ever race meeting to be the biggest race meeting in the world, the Million Dollar Chase.

“I want to make it clear that while it is naturally a sad time saying goodbye to a venue that has been the heart and soul of the sport for just shy of a century, this is a transition for the sport and we will continue to work closely with GRNSW on a sustainable and vibrant future for the sport and a continuation of metropolitan racing in Sydney.”

As previously agreed to, if Wentworth Park closed before the end of their lease, the GBOTA would continue to conduct metropolitan racing at one of their other racetracks. As such from October 17, Saturday night racing will be held at the Gosford track.

Mr Griffin added that GRNSW is in the process of determining where a replacement for Wentworth Park will be built, and it is hoped that an announcement on the location and details of the new Sydney Metropolitan Racing Precinct (SMRP) will be made before the end of this year.

He added that from the end date of the GBOTA’s lease in September, 2027, the Saturday metropolitan race meeting will move to the Richmond club and remain there until the new SMRP is operational.

[email protected]