HOOP arm lures will be introduced at all 13 greyhound racing tracks across the state.
Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) will phase in the lures over the next six months, after a series of trials were conducted.
GRV General Manager of Racing Stuart Laing said the hoop arm lures had produced cleaner and safer racing.
“This improved safety was particularly evident with the latest version of the hoop arm lure which has been trialled at The Meadows,” Mr Laing said.
The lure was trialled at seven Victorian racetracks with the objective of reducing interference in races and racing injuries, as well as examining the motivations of greyhounds to chase the lure.
“In future for races run on the hoop arm in Victoria, the greyhounds will finish in the catching pen as opposed to continuing on and finishing on the lure into the back straight,” Mr Laing said.
“GRV was not satisfied that using the finish on method was in the best interests of greyhound safety at this time, however GRV is about to be involved in a ’Motivation to Chase’ study and will further consider the use of finish on lure in this context.“
However the GRV will investigate other ways to finish a race on lure.
A hybrid version is set to be developed for use at Healesville’s straight track to incorporate the same colour schemes and design as the lures used on the hoop arm.
“The new GRV is doing all it can to provide a long, enjoyable life for every Victorian greyhound before, during and after its racing career and we anticipate this will be a major step towards this outcome,” Mr Laing said.
This initiative is the latest in a series of reforms made to Victorian greyhound racing in the past 18 months, following a Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry and the New South Wales Government’s shock decision to ban the sport earlier this year.
The move comes after ABC’s Four Corners program last year aired damning footage of piglets, possums and rabbits being strapped to lures and ripped apart while they are used as live-bait to blood greyhounds at the Tooradin track.
