Greyhound Racing Victoria adopts TurfTrax GoingStick technology
Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) recently announced that they have adopted TurfTrax GoingStick technology.
This makes GRV the first regulatory body in the greyhound racing industry to require the use of this technology at all 13 of its tracks in Australia.
The GoingStick, which is commonly used in horse racing venues in the Southern Hemisphere, has been customized specifically for sand based greyhound racing surfaces.
The collaboration between GRV and TurfTrax aims to improve track consistency, safety, and overall welfare for the greyhounds.
Stuart Laing, CEO of GRV emphasized the importance of providing a well-prepared racing surface as their priority.
The data collected through GoingStick will support GRV's welfare and integrity programs.Since 2019, Cranbourne and Sandown Park have been conducting trials with the GoingStick.
Throughout this period, they have made adjustments to the probe, data collection methods, and software.
Since April 2022, all GRV tracks have had access to their own GoingStick devices and collected data before races began, on race days themselves, and during greyhound race fixtures.
In total, over 200,000 individual readings have been taken to generate data sets and maps that are accessible to Track Curators and GRV personnel through the TurfTrax Hub, a cloud based platform.
The implementation of the GoingStick is a step towards upholding welfare standards and maintaining integrity within greyhound racing, according to GRV's commitment.
The information gathered will contribute to the development of an expanded diagnostics program, which will offer data and analysis, including readings, for trial days.
Victorian greyhound racing and it's participants collectively contribute $409 million to the Victorian economy each year.
Unfortunately, in what would be valuable information for greyhound betting punters; none of the track GoingStick readings have as yet ever been released to the betting public.
Mike Maher, the Managing Director of TurfTrax, said discussions are currently underway with other states and jurisdictions to adopt the technology.