Greyhound Racing NSW: Tracks, Races & Betting Guide

New South Wales has more greyhound racing tracks than any other state in Australia. That is not a small margin either. With around 31 active venues spread from Sydney’s harbourside down to the Illawarra coast, across the Hunter Valley, through the Central West and up into the Northern Tablelands, NSW offers a depth and geographic spread of racing that no other state matches. Some of those tracks are metropolitan flagships hosting Group 1 racing worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Others are country circuits where the local community turns up on a weeknight to watch the dogs and have a beer. Both are part of the same sport, and both matter.

The centrepiece of NSW greyhound racing is Wentworth Park, Sydney’s only metro track and the home of the Golden Easter Egg — the richest greyhound race in the state at $300,000 to the winner. Beyond Wentworth Park, the iconic Dapto Dogs runs every Thursday night in the Illawarra with a following that borders on folklore, while TAB tracks across Gosford, Dubbo, Maitland, Gunnedah and a dozen other towns keep the racing calendar full seven days a week.

This page covers how greyhound racing works in NSW, the tracks worth knowing, the races that define the calendar, and the practical details you need as a punter or a newcomer to the sport.

NSW greyhound racing at a glance

Feature	Detail
State	New South Wales
Governing body	Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW)
Integrity body	Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission (GWIC)
Active tracks	~31 (most of any Australian state)
Metro track	Wentworth Park, Sydney (Wed & Sat nights)
Iconic regional	Dapto Dogs (Thursday nights since 1937)
Flagship race	Golden Easter Egg — Group 1, 520m, $300,000
Major carnival	Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase (October)
Group/Listed races per year	37
Dogs per race	6 (standard)
Fields and results	thedogs.com.au
Rehoming programme	Greyhounds As Pets (GAP)

How NSW greyhound racing is run

NSW is unique among Australian racing states in how it separates the commercial side of greyhound racing from the welfare and integrity side. Most states run both functions through a single authority. NSW splits them between two independent bodies, and understanding that split matters if you follow the sport here.

Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) is the commercial body. It manages the racing calendar, sets prize money, develops the industry, and runs initiatives like the annual Puppy Auction and breeding incentive schemes. GRNSW is responsible for growing the sport — marketing, sponsorship, track investment and the overall health of greyhound racing as a commercial product. If a new track is being built, a race meeting is being scheduled, or prize money is being increased, that comes from GRNSW. The organisation publishes a monthly CEO update for participants and maintains the official news feed at grnsw.com.au.

The Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission (GWIC) is the independent regulatory body. Established in the wake of the 2016 ban-and-reversal controversy, GWIC handles everything that sits outside the commercial operation: animal welfare, race-day stewarding, drug testing, kennel inspections, track safety standards and integrity investigations. The critical point is that GWIC operates independently of GRNSW. The people responsible for growing the sport commercially are not the same people responsible for policing it. That structural independence was a deliberate reform, and it gives NSW a governance framework that is arguably the most rigorous in Australian greyhound racing.

On the participant side, the NSW GBOTA (Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers’ Association) represents the people who actually breed, own and train the dogs. The GBOTA manages some tracks directly, including Wentworth Park, and advocates for participant interests across the industry.

For punters, the practical interface is thedogs.com.au — the official GRNSW racing platform where fields, results, scratchings, replays and the full racing calendar are published. If you want to know what is racing today in NSW, that is where you start.

Meetings across the state fall into two categories. TAB meetings are covered by the national betting pools and streamed on Sky Racing, meaning you can bet through TAB, Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and other licensed operators. Non-TAB meetings are smaller local events, primarily in country areas, with no online betting coverage. The distinction matters because the TAB tracks are where the serious racing and the serious money sit, while the non-TAB circuit serves the grassroots of the sport.

NSW greyhound tracks — the full picture

With around 31 active tracks, NSW has the broadest network of greyhound racing venues in Australia. That network stretches from the harbourside at Wentworth Park to the far west at Broken Hill, and includes everything from the flagship metropolitan track hosting $300,000 Group 1 races to tiny country circuits running non-TAB meetings for a couple of hundred locals on a weeknight.

The practical distinction for punters is between TAB and non-TAB tracks. TAB venues are where the racing matters for betting — they carry full online betting coverage, Sky Racing broadcasts and fields published on thedogs.com.au. The non-TAB tracks serve the grassroots and the breeding community but are not covered by the major operators.

Here are the key TAB tracks across the state:

Track	Region	Meeting days	Note
Wentworth Park	Sydney (Glebe)	Wed & Sat nights	Metro flagship — 14 Group races, Golden Easter Egg
Dapto	Illawarra	Thursday nights	Iconic “Dapto Dogs” — Group 1 Megastar
The Gardens	Newcastle	Regular TAB	Major regional venue, Hunter region
Richmond	Western Sydney	Regular TAB	Hosts GRNSW Puppy Auction
Gosford	Central Coast	Regular TAB	Between Sydney and the Hunter Valley
Bulli	Illawarra	Regular TAB	South Coast circuit alongside Dapto
Maitland	Hunter Valley	Regular TAB	One of the oldest tracks in NSW, opened 1927
Dubbo	Central West	Regular TAB	Western NSW hub at Dawson Park
Goulburn	Southern Tablelands	Mondays	One-turn track, loam surface
Grafton	North Coast	Regular TAB	Annual Grafton Racing Carnival in July
Gunnedah	North West	Regular TAB	Historical venue, final resting place of Chief Havoc
Casino	Far North Coast	Regular TAB	New track built 2015
Nowra	South Coast	Regular TAB	Shoalhaven Racing Complex
Temora	Riverina	Regular TAB	Southern NSW circuit

That is not the complete list — there are additional TAB venues at Taree, Wagga and elsewhere, plus the non-TAB circuit running at country tracks like Broken Hill, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Lithgow and Young. The non-TAB meetings do not appear on the major betting platforms, but they are an important part of the breeding and development pipeline that feeds the TAB-level racing.

The geographic spread is worth appreciating. NSW racing is not Sydney-centric in the way that Victorian racing orbits Melbourne. The country tracks account for the majority of meetings held in the state, and many of the best dogs in NSW cut their teeth at regional venues before stepping up to Wentworth Park. A dog winning at Dubbo or Gunnedah this month could be lining up in a Group race at Wentworth Park next month, and that pathway from country to city is one of the things that keeps the NSW circuit healthy.

Wentworth Park deserves its own section, because it is the heart of everything that happens in NSW greyhound racing.

Wentworth Park — Sydney’s home of greyhound racing

Wentworth Park sits in Glebe, a short walk from Sydney’s CBD, and it is the only metropolitan greyhound track in New South Wales. Everything at the top of NSW racing runs through this venue. The Golden Easter Egg, the Million Dollar Chase, the National Derby, the Peter Mosman Opal — the races that define the calendar and draw the best dogs from across the country all happen here, under lights, on Wednesday and Saturday nights throughout the year.

The track has been running since 1939. Over eighty years of NSW greyhound racing on the same patch of ground beside Blackwattle Bay, and it remains the showpiece. The surface is loam with a cable lure system, the circumference is 400 metres, and races are run over three distances: 280 metres for the sprints, 520 metres for the standard races where the big Group events are decided, and 720 metres for the stayers. That 520-metre trip is where the money is — the Golden Easter Egg, the Million Dollar Chase finals and the majority of Group racing all run over it.

The numbers tell the story of how central this venue is:

What	Detail
Race meetings per year	102
Group races hosted	14 per year
Group/Listed races total	20+ per year
Richest race	Golden Easter Egg — $300,000 to the winner
Major carnival	Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase (October)
Entry	Free
Racing nights	Wednesday and Saturday
Distances	280m, 520m, 720m

The facilities reflect a venue that has invested in its on-track experience. A two-level grandstand gives every seat an uninterrupted view of the full circuit. The Ladbrokes Sports Bar and Restaurant on Level 1 is a recent addition, and the ground floor has bars, kiosks and an indoor betting pavilion. All meetings are broadcast on Sky Racing and streamed through the major betting operators, but the atmosphere of being trackside at Wentworth Park on a Saturday night, particularly during a Group 1 final, is something the broadcast does not fully capture.

The venue is managed by the NSW GBOTA rather than GRNSW directly, which gives the participant body a hands-on role in running the state’s premier track. Gates open 75 minutes before the first race, and the track also hosts trials on both race nights, bookable through ontheclock.com.au.

For punters, Wentworth Park is where form lines converge. Dogs that have impressed at Dapto, The Gardens or the country TAB circuit step up here to test themselves against the best in the state. If you are serious about following NSW greyhound racing, this is the track you watch first.

Regional tracks worth knowing

NSW greyhound racing is built on its regional circuit as much as its metropolitan flagship. The country and provincial tracks are where the majority of meetings happen, where dogs develop before stepping up to Wentworth Park, and where some of the most passionate greyhound racing communities in Australia turn up week after week. A handful of these venues stand out.

Dapto Dogs

No section on NSW greyhound tracks can start anywhere else. Dapto is the most famous country greyhound meeting in Australia, and the Thursday night tradition at the South Coast venue in the Illawarra has been running since 1937. The phrase “Dapto Dogs” carries a weight in Australian greyhound culture that goes beyond the racing itself — it is a social institution, a piece of Illawarra identity, and one of those rare sporting events where the atmosphere is as much the point as the result.

The racing is serious too. Dapto hosts the Group 1 Megastar, worth $75,000 to the winner, which is one of only two Group 1 races in the entire country held outside a metropolitan venue. That distinction matters. It means the best dogs in Australia come to a country track in the Illawarra to compete at the highest level, and the locals get to watch it happen in their backyard on a Thursday night.

The Gardens, Newcastle

The major regional track in the Hunter, The Gardens runs regular TAB meetings and serves as the proving ground for dogs from the Hunter Valley, Central Coast and Northern NSW. Strong form at The Gardens is a reliable indicator that a dog is ready for the step up to Wentworth Park, and trainers based in the region use it as their primary track.

Gunnedah

One of the most historical venues in NSW greyhound racing. The Gunnedah track has been running since the 1960s and is the final resting place of Chief Havoc, one of the great champion greyhounds and sires in Australian history. The annual Chief Havoc Cup honours that legacy and draws nominations from across the state. The 2026 edition remains one of the headline events on the regional calendar.

Gosford

Positioned on the Central Coast between Sydney and the Hunter Valley, Gosford runs TAB meetings from the Gosford Showground and provides an accessible regional option for trainers and punters in the greater Sydney area who want racing without the trip to Wentworth Park.

Grafton

The annual Grafton Racing Carnival in July is one of the highlights of the NSW country racing year. Held in the town known as Jacaranda City on the North Coast, the carnival draws increased nominations and gives the regional circuit a genuine festival atmosphere. Outside carnival time, Grafton runs regular TAB meetings and supports the racing community across the far north of the state.

Each of these tracks feeds into the broader NSW ecosystem. Dogs that win at Dapto, Gunnedah or The Gardens build the form that earns them a crack at Wentworth Park’s Group races — and that pipeline from regional to metropolitan is what keeps the sport competitive at every level.

NSW greyhound racing calendar

NSW hosts 37 Group and Listed greyhound races every year, and the vast majority are decided at Wentworth Park. The calendar is structured so that almost every month brings a feature event at the metro track, building toward two headline carnivals that define the NSW racing year: the Golden Easter Egg in April and the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase in October.

The Group 1 races held in NSW:

Race	Track	Distance	Prize (1st)	When
Golden Easter Egg	Wentworth Park	520m	$300,000	Easter Saturday
Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase	Wentworth Park	520m	Major carnival	October
Peter Mosman Opal	Wentworth Park	520m	$75,000	Annual
Paws of Thunder	Wentworth Park	520m	$75,000	Annual
National Futurity	Wentworth Park	520m	$75,000	Annual
National Derby	Wentworth Park	520m	$75,000	Annual
Association Cup	Wentworth Park	720m	$75,000	Annual
Megastar	Dapto	520m	$75,000	Annual

The Golden Easter Egg is the race that everything in NSW greyhound racing orbits. Run on Easter Saturday over 520 metres at Wentworth Park, it is worth $300,000 to the winner and sits at the centre of a carnival worth over $1 million in total prize money across the supporting races. The format is a proper knockout: ten qualifying heats are whittled down to four semi-finals, and the best eight dogs contest the final. Winning the Egg is the single most prestigious achievement in NSW greyhound racing and one of the biggest prizes in the sport nationally.

The Million Dollar Chase in October is the other anchor point. Run by Ladbrokes as the naming sponsor, the carnival brings its own series of heats, semi-finals and a blockbuster final that closes out the spring racing season. Between the Egg in autumn and the Chase in spring, the two carnivals give the NSW calendar a structure that builds anticipation through the year.

Outside the Group 1 races, the calendar fills with Group 2 and Group 3 events, Listed races and feature events at the regional tracks. The Chief Havoc Cup at Gunnedah and the Grafton Racing Carnival in July are the standouts on the country circuit. The GRNSW Puppy Auction, held in June at Richmond, is not a race but it is one of the most significant dates on the industry calendar — the 2026 edition attracted a record 177 lots and reflects growing confidence in the NSW breeding sector.

The practical takeaway for punters is that there is always something worth following. Wentworth Park delivers Group racing most months, the regional features fill the gaps, and the two flagship carnivals provide the peak moments that draw the best dogs from across the country.

Welfare and rehoming

NSW greyhound racing operates under the most scrutinised welfare framework in Australian racing, and that framework exists because of what happened in 2016. The NSW government announced a complete greyhound racing NSW ban, following a special commission that uncovered serious welfare failures. The ban was reversed before it took effect, but the reforms it triggered were real and lasting. The most significant was the creation of GWIC as an independent body, separating welfare oversight permanently from the commercial interests of the sport.

That independence is not symbolic. GWIC conducts kennel inspections, enforces track safety standards, manages injury reporting, oversees drug testing and investigates integrity breaches — all without answering to the people whose job is to grow the industry commercially. Every racing greyhound in NSW is tracked through its career, and retirement pathways are monitored rather than left to individual owners and trainers to manage without oversight. The system is not perfect, and GWIC’s own reports acknowledge ongoing challenges, but the structural separation between the body that promotes racing and the body that polices it is a genuine reform that did not exist before 2016.

Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) is GRNSW’s dedicated rehoming programme for retired racing greyhounds. GAP takes dogs that have finished their racing careers, assesses their suitability for life as companion animals, and matches them with adoptive families. The programme actively promotes the greyhound breed as pets — and anyone who has spent time with a retired greyhound knows these are among the most gentle, low-maintenance dogs you can own. Couch potatoes in a fast body. GAP operates through the GRNSW network and is accessible through the official website.

Greenhounds complements GAP on the environmental side, supporting sustainability initiatives across the industry.

The honest context is this: NSW greyhound racing went through a crisis that nearly ended the sport in the state entirely. The reforms that followed — GWIC’s independence, mandatory retirement tracking, increased investment in rehoming — were the price of survival, and they have genuinely changed how the industry operates. Whether those changes go far enough is a question that different people answer differently, but the structural framework in NSW is measurably stronger than it was a decade ago, and stronger than what exists in most other racing states.

Greyhound racing New South Wales: the bottom line

NSW is the broadest greyhound racing state in Australia. Not the richest in prize money at a single venue — Victoria holds that with the Melbourne Cup at Sandown — but the deepest in geographic spread, the most active in track count, and home to a racing culture that runs from the Group 1 glamour of Wentworth Park’s Golden Easter Egg all the way down to non-TAB meetings at country tracks where the crowd fits in one grandstand and everyone knows the dogs by name.

The strength of the NSW circuit is that pipeline between country and city. Dogs develop at Dapto, Gunnedah, The Gardens and the regional TAB tracks, build their form through provincial grades, and the best of them graduate to Wentworth Park to contest the richest races in the state. That pathway keeps the racing competitive at every level and gives punters a genuine form trail to follow from early career through to the Group 1 stage.

For punters, the practical entry points are straightforward. Wentworth Park on Wednesday and Saturday nights is where the best racing happens. Dapto on Thursday nights is where the atmosphere is. The regional tracks fill the rest of the week with TAB meetings that offer solid betting opportunities without the depth of field you face at the metro level. Fields are on thedogs.com.au, streaming is on Sky Racing and through the major betting apps, and GWIC’s independent oversight means the integrity framework behind what you are watching is as robust as anywhere in the country.

Whether you are a seasoned punter looking for your next meeting or new to the dogs entirely, NSW offers more racing, more tracks and more variety than any other state in Australia. Start at Wentworth Park and work outward from there.

Frequently asked questions

How many greyhound tracks are in NSW?

There are around 31 active greyhound racing tracks in New South Wales, making it the state with the most venues in Australia. These include one metropolitan track (Wentworth Park in Sydney), approximately 15 to 20 TAB-covered provincial tracks, and a number of non-TAB country tracks scattered through regional NSW.

Where is the main greyhound track in Sydney?

Wentworth Park in Glebe is Sydney’s only metropolitan greyhound track and the flagship venue for NSW greyhound racing. It holds 102 race meetings per year on Wednesday and Saturday nights, hosts 14 Group races annually including the Golden Easter Egg, and offers free entry.

What is the Golden Easter Egg?

The Golden Easter Egg is the richest greyhound race in NSW and one of the biggest in Australia. It is a Group 1 race run over 520 metres at Wentworth Park on Easter Saturday, worth $300,000 to the winner and over $1 million across the full carnival. The format runs through ten qualifying heats and four semi-finals before an eight-dog final.

When is Dapto Dogs?

Dapto Dogs runs every Thursday night at the South Coast track in the Illawarra district of NSW. The venue has been racing since 1937 and hosts the Group 1 Megastar, one of only two Group 1 greyhound races in Australia held outside a metropolitan track.

Is greyhound racing legal in NSW?

Yes. Greyhound racing is legal and fully regulated in New South Wales. The industry is governed by Greyhound Racing NSW on the commercial side and independently overseen by the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission for welfare and integrity matters. NSW briefly considered a ban in 2016 but reversed the decision and instead implemented significant governance reforms.

What is GWIC?

The Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission is the independent regulatory body for greyhound racing in NSW. It handles animal welfare, race-day stewarding, drug testing, kennel inspections and integrity investigations. GWIC operates independently of Greyhound Racing NSW, meaning the commercial body and the regulatory body are structurally separate.

Where can I watch NSW greyhound racing?

All TAB meetings are broadcast on Sky Racing, which is available through Foxtel, Kayo Sports and licensed venues. Most major betting operators including TAB, Sportsbet and Ladbrokes also offer live streaming of NSW greyhound racing through their apps and websites.

Where can I bet on NSW greyhound racing?

Through any Australian-licensed betting operator. TAB, Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, bet365 Australia, Neds, PointsBet and BlueBet all offer greyhound markets on NSW TAB meetings with fixed odds and tote betting. In-play betting is not available online under Australian law, so all bets must be placed before the boxes open.