Last week the Otago Daily Times revealed an unidentified punter placed a $10,000 bet on greyhound Zipping Sarah, who won her race at the Addington Raceway in November 2020 before testing positive for methamphetamine. Of the 481 bets placed totalling $23,083, this was by far the most significant bet placed on the dog.
SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said given the meth use and dodgy bets, the police should be involved.
“There’s likely more to this case than what’s emerged from the Judicial Control Authority hearing,” said Appelbe. “It should be seriously concerning for law enforcement.”
“The police have investigated doping and race-fixing in the racing industry before. This case should be no different.”
A number of defendants are awaiting trial following Operation Inca, a 17-month investigation into harness race-fixing and doping.
Last month the greyhound trainer Angela Turnwald was fined $3,500 and disqualified for four months after Zipping Sarah tested positive for methamphetamine. After initially failing to investigate, SAFE understands that the Ministry for Primary Industries is now making inquiries.
“We’re seriously concerned about the ongoing suffering of these dogs.”
“While it’s encouraging to see the Government will be reviewing the greyhound industry, if they are genuinely concerned about animal welfare, they must suspend racing until the review is complete.”
