THE death toll at Queensland’s $100 million-plus flagship greyhound racing complex has climbed to 40, with two dogs killed in just three days as frustrated local trainers accuse racing authorities of ignoring repeated warnings about dangerous track conditions.
The latest fatalities at The Q in Purga have intensified scrutiny of the controversial facility, with animal welfare advocates renewing calls for its closure after claiming 1492 injuries have been recorded since racing commenced in March 2025.
Local trainers including Casey Dargusch have launched a scathing attack on Racing Queensland (RQ) and the Queensland Greyhound Racing Club (QGRC), accusing both organisations of failing to address longstanding concerns about the racing surface despite more than 12 months of warnings from industry participants.
The latest death occurred on October 23 when Dainty Dottie suffered a complete open fracture of her foreleg during the opening 390-metre maiden race at Q1 Lakeside.
It followed the death of You Tell Her just two days earlier following an incident on the same circuit, raising fresh questions about safety at a complex promoted as one of the world’s most advanced greyhound racing facilities.
The October 23 stewards’ report also documented injuries to three other greyhounds, with Smash Of Gold and Maywin’s King receiving 21-day racing stand-downs for pin injuries, while Orlando Beach was stood down for 10 days with a hip injury.
According to the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), the two fatalities have pushed the death toll at The Q to 40 since opening, with the organisation claiming Q1 Lakeside has recorded more greyhound deaths and injuries than any other Australian racing track this year.
CPG president Amy MacMahon condemned the mounting toll and renewed the organisation’s calls for the taxpayer-funded facility to be shut down.
“The latest shocking death at The Q is another reminder of what a disaster this taxpayer-funded folly has become,” Ms MacMahon said.
However, Ms Dargusch believes the problems extend beyond individual racing incidents, arguing the quality of the sand surface remains a fundamental safety concern that authorities have repeatedly failed to resolve.
Ms Dargusch said trainers had raised concerns directly with RQ and QGRC for more than a year, but their warnings had not resulted in the changes they believed were necessary.
Racing Queensland has defended its animal welfare record, rejecting suggestions that serious injuries are increasing and pointing to significant improvements in safety statistics since the facility opened.
A spokesperson said the serious injury rate had almost halved year-on-year, with the overwhelming majority of greyhounds competing without sustaining a serious injury.
“Since racing commenced at The Q, the serious injury rate has all but halved year-on-year.”
RQ also confirmed further works were planned for the Q1 Lakeside racing surface following investigations into the performance of its sand profile.
