Healesville’s scheduled greyhound racing meet was one of four to be cancelled this week because of extreme weather conditions.
Scorching temperatures forecast for Victoria have forced Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) to cancel the four race meetings and adjust four more under its hot weather policy.
With the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting extreme heat across Victoria in the coming days, GRV has made changes to its upcoming racing calendar to prioritise greyhound welfare.
These adjustments are in line with GRV’s Hot Weather Policy, which has been in place since 2015 and was most recently updated in September 2025.
The following meetings have been cancelled due to forecast conditions: The Meadows on Wednesday 7 January, Shepparton on Thursday 8 January, Healesville on Friday 9 January and Bendigo on Friday 9 January.
Meetings in Sale, Bendigo, Ballarat and Warragul were adjusted to run at different times or days.
A race meeting is declared Hot Weather-Affected when the forecast maximum temperature at the track location is 32 degrees or higher at any point during the day.
When this occurs, the following measures are implemented:
• Air-conditioned race kennels open 30 minutes earlier than standard kennelling times
• Participants may scratch greyhounds penalty-free
• Greyhounds must be transported in air-conditioned cars, vans or trailers
• No pre-race parading of greyhounds
• Post-race cooling procedures include hosing, access to water (standard practice), and a minimum 15-minute recovery period in air-conditioned kennels
If temperatures reach 35 degrees, Stewards are required to monitor the venue’s weather station five minutes prior to each race.
Should the temperature exceed 38 degrees, the race and/or entire meeting will be postponed or abandoned.
GRV will continue to closely monitor conditions and provide updates as required.
