Due to the forecast of hot weather, Tasracing have taken measures to ensure the safety of animals and participants at the Hobart greyhound meeting on Thursday night, 22 February.
- The temperature at the start of the first race is expected to be <30 degrees with a strong nor-westerly wind (30-45 km/hr), which will aid in cooling greyhounds and reduce the perceived air temperature dramatically.
- Greyhounds travelling to the races will be in transport trailers equipped with ventilation vents, which maximise airflow to assist in keeping travelling dogs comfortable. Water will be available for dogs during travel.
- On arrival at the track in the afternoon, all greyhounds will be examined by a team of three vets, two of whom will specifically check the dog’s hydration and thermal comfort levels.
- On arrival and throughout the night, ice baths and chilled water hoses will be available for use, and all greyhounds will be provided with fresh drinking water at the track.
- Kennelling times will be brought forward and extended to ensure that all greyhounds are in the comforts of the air-conditioned kennels for maximum time.
- For the first six races of the night, there will be shortened intervals between races to limit dogs’ time spent outside of the air-conditioned kennels.
- All greyhounds racing on Thursday night will be provided with a minimum 30-min interval in the air-conditioned kennels after they complete their race to ensure they maintain thermal comfort levels.
- Trials following the races have been cancelled to ensure that the housing capacity of the air-conditioned kennels is not exceeded.