AGE: 5 years
TRAINER: Kylie McLennan
STATUS: 3 racing, 3 retired, 1 used for breeding, 1 deceased and 2 unknown status.
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: $184,235
This case study looks at the histories and fates of 10 pups from one litter, whelped on 4 February 2019, all bred and trained by Kylle McLennan. At the time of writing, this litter is 5 years and 6 months old and of the 10 pups, three are still racing, three have been listed as retired, one is deceased, one is being used for breeding and two are of unknown status.
Free The Hounds has long been concerned about the skewed way in which Racing and Wagering WA (RWWA) report injury rates in greyhounds. In their most recently published Annual Report, RWWA state, “ From 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 2.56 per cent of total greyhound starters were affected by an injury incident”. Reporting in this way makes the rate injury look very low. By looking at this single litter however, it can be seen that all 10 of these pups incurred injuries through racing. That is, 100% of the dogs in this litter incurred injuries, often on multiple occasions.
Champagne Mac: Retired at only 25 months of age following metatarsal and tarsal (hock) fractures. She raced 30 times and earnt $7,655 in prize money.
Commando Mac: Euthanised at 3 years of age following a hock fracture. Commando Mac raced 61 times for $16,860 in prize money. He had a history of three prior on-track injuries, sustained consecutively. Of note, he incurred a hip muscle injury requiring 78 days of recovery time, despite only being stood down for 7 days by the on-track vet.
Diamond Mac: Was retired from racing at age 2 and a half years, following two consecutive on-track injuries and is now being used for breeding. She raced 32 times for only $3,625 in prize money. She raced for 13 months, with 32 starts and sustained three on-track injuries and two off-track injuries in her short time racing. In her final two starts she sustained a hind muscle tear and then soreness to her lower back and triceps, for which she was given only 10 and 7 days of recovery time, respectively, by the on-track vet. She did not make a return to racing following these injuries.
Domino Mac: Status unknown. While he is still listed as racing according to Fasttrack, he has not had a start since July 2021. Domino Mac was scratched from racing due to an unknown off-track injury or illness directly prior to being ‘retired’. Despite only racing for 11 months, he was best earner of the littler, having raced 35 times for $56,595. Eight races prior to being retired, he had a fallen and sustained a sore lower back with only 7 days of recovery time prescribed by the on-track vet. Whether this is related to their premature retirement is not known.
Hysteria Mac: Retired at just 22 months of age following injury. He raced 13 times for $7,785. He was vet checked before he was retired and found to be free of injury – however he failed to finish a race two starts later, having sustained a wrist injury and was then retired. The on-track vet had issued him with a 7-day stand-down for this injury – why was he retired following such a supposedly minor injury? Hysteria Mac also had a history of two hind leg muscular injuries (gracilis and triangle), for which stand-downs were only 10 and 7 days, respectively).
Illusive Mac: Retired at 5 years and 3 months of age having raced 101 times for only $9,745 in prize money. Illusive Mac was stood down for only 5 days following a fall and “hind leg bruising” but did not return in November 2023. Was the injury more serious than that diagnosed by the on-track vet?
Impact Mac: At five and half years old, Impact Mac is still racing. He has had 135 starts to date for $49,678 in prize money. He is currently on a stand-down due to injury. Impact Mac has sustained 5 off-track injuries and 5 on-track injuries to date, 1 of which was a 42-day stand-down for an unspecified stifle (knee) injury, for which he spent 6 months in recovery – vastly more than the 42 days prescribed by the on-track vet. He is currently on a 14-day stand-down for a second split webbing injury.
Jimmy Mac: Still racing and has had 119 starts to date for $11,245 in prize money. He is currently on stand-down due to an unknown injury (awaiting release of steward’s report). He has sustained three unknown off-track injuries and four on-track injuries to date (tears to groin, shoulder and hip muscles and two lower spinal injuries).
Sebastian Mac: Still racing and has had 123 starts to date for $21,106 in prize money. He has sustained one off-track injury and six on-track injuries to date, including two shoulder muscle injuries, a tarsal sprain, a wrist sprain and back soreness.
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