The Million Dollar Chase:
A Legacy of Exploitation, Injuries, and Death

Behind the glitz and glamour of the world’s richest greyhound race lies the dark reality of animal exploitation and abuse. The Million Dollar Chase, touted as the pinnacle of the NSW greyhound racing calendar, serves as a stark reminder of its ongoing cruelty and disregard for animal welfare.

As we peel back the layers of this event, we expose the harrowing truth: the race to the finish line is paved with the broken bodies and the shattered lives of countless greyhounds. From intensive overbreeding and injuries and deaths, to live baiting and high kill rates, the greyhound racing industry continues to prioritise profit over the well-being of these gentle animals.

This page delves into the grim realities behind the Million Dollar Chase, showcasing the industry's history of wrongdoing and the ongoing suffering inflicted on greyhounds. We examine past participant winners and their wrongdoing, as well as provide an overview of the 2024 finalists and their histories. By shining a light on these histories, we aim to reveal the true cost of this million-dollar disgrace, and why we need to shut this industry down permanently.

Past Million Dollar Chase winners

The Million Dollar Chase event commenced in 2018 and has run every year apart from 2020 due to COVID lock-downs.

Our investigations confirm that a number of the past first place winners have been investigated and penalised by the NSW regulator, the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC). The results of our investigation are as follows:

Images sourced from: The Greyhound Recorder, Newcastle Herald, Courier Mail, Racenet

2024 MDC Finalists

Images sourced from: The Greyhound Recorder, West Australian

Injuries and deaths in 2024 MDC qualifying races

As the greyhound racing industry touts the Million Dollar Chase as its crown jewel, a grim reality lurks beneath the surface. The 2024 qualifying races have once again highlighted that there is no such thing as a ‘safe track’, and the inherent dangers and ethical concerns plaguing commercial greyhound racing. According to the latest data, 19 dogs have sustained injuries during these 2024 qualifying events, with 3 facing extended 60 to 90 day stand-down periods – a fate often tantamount to a death sentence in this industry.

This industry data, however, only scratches the surface of a broader, more disturbing trend. The injuries sustained during all greyhound trialling and racing range from ‘minor’ to ‘severe’, including fractured legs, lacerations, and other trauma. Of particular concern are the incidents at Wentworth Park, the venue for the Million Dollar Chase, and one of Australia's most lethal death tracks. Despite its high profile, Wentworth Park has a history of multiple dogs suffering serious injuries and death.

Racing at Wentworth Park has resulted in 2,323 injuries, of which 402 were ‘serious’ injuries, and 65 greyhound deaths since the 2016 NSW ban on greyhound racing was overturned.

The table below provides a detailed breakdown of the injuries sustained by 19 greyhounds during the 2024 MDC qualifying races. It serves as a sobering reminder of the true cost of this "million-dollar" event, is one paid for by the pain and suffering of greyhounds. As we examine these statistics, it becomes abundantly clear that the MDC and all race events leave a devastating toll on greyhound victims.

Date Venue Greyhound
24 Aug. Angle Park Zinfandel Trace
30 Aug. Goulburn Wiradjuri Jack
5 Sept. Dapto Marvel Zombie
5 Sept. Dapto Lakeview Emily
6 Sept. Richmond Zipping Strop
6 Sept. Richmond Zipping Caleb
8 Sept. Broken Hill Zoe Rose
12 Sept. Casino Journey Beyond
12 Sept. Casino Spirit Boy
20 Sept. Wagga Blue Moves
23 Sept. Nowra History's Coming
24 Sept. Gosford Last Grand
29 Sept. Grafton Cash In Colour
5 Oct. Wentworth Park Elite Alex
5 Oct. Wentworth Park House of Turbo
10 Oct. Wentworth Park Muscle Memory
10 Oct. Wentworth Park Golden Status
10 Oct. Wentworth Park Secret Getaway
12 Oct. Wentworth Park Nad Al Sheba

Greyhound racing isn’t fun for everyone

While all dogs naturally enjoy running and playing, the world of greyhound racing presents a stark contrast to this instinctive joy. The Million Dollar Chase, like all greyhound races, forces these gentle animals to compete for human entertainment and gambling profits. This unnatural and stressful environment often results in reluctant participants, as evidenced by these disturbing images from Wentworth Park.

These photographs (taken at Wentworth Park on 12 October 2024) capture the grim reality for greyhounds physically coerced into the starting boxes. Such scenes are not anomalies but common occurrences in the racing industry.

Images: 12 October 2024, Wentworth Park (The Dogs)

Dispelling the Million Dollar Myth

Like recent former failed CEO's at Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW), they leave with inflated and mythical recollections of what was. Former GRNSW CEO’s Rob Macaulay and Tony Mestrov were no different in that regard.

The reality is it's all an illusion and we know from the recent exposures and scandals that this illusion, no matter how many times it's quoted by the greyhound racing industry, doesn't become fact or reality.

The Million Dollar Chase is just one example of the industry's colour and spin, and what they don't tell you, is the trail of greyhound victims along the road to a gold cup and a large check, is only made possible by the ongoing exploitation of greyhounds and gambling.

Rob Macaulay left under a cloud of scandal following the allegations about the Wyee facility and the damning Brittan report, including a number of myths and extreme exaggerations about “record rehoming numbers”, improved welfare standards, and the alleged success of the ‘Aussie Mates in the States Program’.

Above: 2022 Million Dollar Chase winner McInerney (Source: The Dogs)

Prior to Rob Macaulay, former GRNSW CEO Tony Mestrov also claimed his legacy of improvement included purported record rehoming numbers, construction of the state of-the-art Grafton facility, soaring wagering figures, record prize-money returns, and the grand opening of the Richmond Greyhounds as Pets (GAP) facility, and the advent of the Million Dollar Chase.

Mestrov said at the time:

"I'm proud we have the race. We've all seen those feel-good movies. The Million Dollar Chase is our Field of Dreams, our Chariots of Fire, our Dean Youngblood. It's the chance to chase the dream."

Then, we have apathetic Ministers from successive NSW Governments, like NSW Labor Minister for Gaming and Racing, David Harris, pictured below with 2023 Million Dollar Chase winners the Zammit family and Jay Is Jay.

Frank Hurst, Tony Mestrov and Peter Lagogiane (Racenet)
The Zammit family with David Harris (Australian Racing Greyhound)

The Million Dollar Mirage: Profit Over Welfare

Chasing the dream for those who profit from greyhound exploitation, is not a feel-good movie. The greyhound’s only dream is living a life free from harm in a loving and safe environment as a normal loved member of the family.  

Again, in the industry’s media spin we have become so accustomed to, through the Australian Community Media (ACM) partnership with Greyhound Racing NSW, the following excerpts explain the origins of the Million Dollar Chase.

"All there was about the sport was negative stories. We needed to create some positivity and turn things around and prove that the industry was back on its feet. One of the ways to do that was to make an impact around an event, and capture the hearts and minds of the people in NSW and show that the industry was back. And that was how the Million Dollar Chase was born.”

"Above all, I am proud that the industry is here to stay. I'm so happy for the participants who have battled so hard for it and that the MDC is still so successful," Mestrov said.

Wayne Billett, current acting GRNSW CEO, has held several positions in the industry for many years. According to media reports published as part of ACM’s partnership with the industry, Billett also expresses his pride when he talks about the apparent success of the MDC:

"When Tony first mentioned we wanted to stage a million dollar race, I was like: 'Wow!' Even now it's a 'wow' event," Billett said. "The sport is made up of salt of the earth people, and they had feature races they wanted to win, but when this was announced, even the old eyes lit up around the place.

"And you know what, it actually gives them something to be proud of as well. To be able to say they are part of an industry that has a race worth $1 million to the winner, that's something. It makes those outside the sport take a long look and say: 'They must be doing something right'“.

Join us at our Million Dollar Chase protest: Friday, 18 October, 5pm

Download one of Animal Liberation’s or The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds corflutes here.

Explore the Truth Behind Greyhound Racing

Delve deeper into the realities of greyhound racing. These resources expose the industry's failures, track GRNSW participant investigations, and reveal the prevalence of doping in the industry.