Greyhound Racing NZ says tote racing at Wanganui Straight Track starts this week

Wanganui Straight Track.

Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) has announced that tote racing will start at the Wanganui Straight Track this Wednesday.

New Zealand has six oval greyhound tracks in operation and the Wanganui Straight Track, inside the Wanganui thoroughbred racecourse, will be New Zealand’s first straight track.

“We are hugely grateful to everyone who has made this happen,” said GRNZ chief executive Edward Rennell.

“Over the past month, we have held two non-tote race meetings at the Wanganui Straight Track to iron out any potential issues and ensure that everything runs smoothly from an operational perspective.

“We have had extremely positive feedback from trainers and owners on the track itself, and we are looking forward to tote racing officially launching there on Wednesday.”

Nine races will take place at Wanganui this Wednesday afternoon, with Race 1 timed to begin at 12.03pm.

After racing on the track on July 17 and 24, GRNZ will assess and determine, with sports betting company Entain NZ and the Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club, a structured format for racing at this venue in the 2024/25 season.

GRNZ spends more than $8 million a year on animal welfare. Greyhound racing in New Zealand provides direct full-time equivalent employment for 1054 people and in FY23, greyhound racing generated $159.2m of value-added contribution to the economy.