Caption: Dale Cartwright
By Pat McLEOD
DALE Cartwright, Queensland’s highest ranking greyhound official, may have overseen arguably the best year the sport has experienced, but he approaches 2023 with a ‘we’re not there yet’ attitude.
“I am very happy, very proud of where greyhound racing is in Queensland at the moment, but you can never rest on your laurels,” said Cartwright, a long-serving member on the Board of Racing Queensland.
“There are still challenges ahead of us and there always will be. This industry has come a long way in a short amount of time, but there is still so much to achieve.”
“We’re fortunate that the Palaszczuk Government has been such a strong supporter of racing, and through the recent Betting Tax changes, we’re able to invest further into the greyhound code.”
On the back of major growth in wagering, greyhound participants across Australia have been rewarded with unprecedented prizemoney increases across the past 12 months.
In Queensland the bounty reached mind-boggling proportions with the announcement late in 2022 that the greyhound code was set to receive an additional $9 million in prizemoney from February 1.
The cherry on that cake was news that the Group 1 Brisbane Cup will become Queensland’s first million-dollar greyhound race in 2023. The time-honoured feature will almost double in prizemoney next year, skyrocketing from $525,000 to $1 million.
Now worth $650,000 to the winner, the Brisbane Cup has been the beneficiary of a number of significant prizemoney increases in recent years, having been run for $145,000 in the summer of 2017.
The Brisbane Cup has a storied history – first run in 1972 as the Gabba Sprint Championship – and has since established itself as the state’s centrepiece race of the Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival, having moved from its traditional summer slot in 2019.
For Cartwright one of the most pleasing aspects of the prizemoney bonanza is where the money has been spent.
“Of course a large portion of that money has gone into covering cost increases in petrol, dog food – all sorts of expenses,” he said.
“But what I also notice are the better quality vehicles and trailers in the carpark. I have seen and I hear about money being spent on better facilities ‘back home’. Better kennels, improved infrastructure right around greyhound properties.
“We are seeing participants and their treasured animals in better, safer environments.
“And of course the industry has been able to afford considerable infrastructure upgrades at all tracks in Queensland.”
Cartwright applauds every part of the industry in accomplishing what has been achieved over the past decade, but reserves special applause for the grassroots.
“Everyone involved in greyhound racing should get a pat on the back,” he says. “However, the participants certainly deserve a lot of credit.
“And now they are reaping the rewards of making major changes. As I so often hear now: ‘There has never been a better time to be in greyhound racing’.
“Most should be feeling comfortable with where we are now and that has come about because they were the ones that accepted the industry had to change and they have seen so much change through.
“So, what we have now is an industry that is very noticeable. The people in greyhound racing are very confident in their future.”
Cartwright said that while the prizemoney increases were the physical examples of the industry being successful he said the confidence the grassroots were now displaying and the cultural changes that had occurred were the most pleasing aspect for him.
Now, he is eyeing 2023 with a bulging agenda.
“I have never been one to stand still,” he said.
“This next year is full of opportunity. I am keen for an even greater focus on the full life cycle of our greyhounds. We are experiencing issues around rehoming, but those issues are being dealt with and I have no doubt better outcomes will be achieved through this year.
“We are a growing, changing sport, so of course challenges will always be part of that.
“I would also like to see more promotion around our country carnivals. They are full of potential.
“I am extremely excited with how the Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre will evolve (the state-of-the-art, three track complex near Ipswich is scheduled to open late in 2024.
“This will be so much more than a fantastic racing venue. It will also be an entertainment precinct. Stay tuned on that!
“What I also hope will continue in 2023 is the way this industry has worked together – all facets, through metropolitan and country.
“The more we move as one, in the right direction, the quicker we will achieve the desired outcomes.”
