Final Wentworth Park Greyhound Race Date Locked In As Site Prepares For Community Redevelopment

The final greyhound race meeting at Wentworth Park will be held on 16 October, bringing almost a century of racing at the inner-Sydney venue to a close before the site is transformed into public open space and community sporting facilities.

The NSW Government announced on Thursday it had reached an agreement with the Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association (GBOTA) for an early end to greyhound racing at the venue, allowing redevelopment works to begin sooner than originally planned. The farewell meeting will feature the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase, the world’s richest greyhound race.

The decision means racing operations will cease at Wentworth Park in October, ahead of the site’s handover later this year. Preliminary restoration works are expected to begin before Christmas, with the former 3.9-hectare racing complex set to become new sporting fields and public open space managed by the City of Sydney.

The redevelopment forms part of the NSW Government’s broader plans for the rapidly growing Ultimo-Pyrmont precinct, with the expanded Wentworth Park intended to support new housing alongside recreation facilities and green space. The government says the project will eventually create an expanded 14-hectare park connected to the future Pyrmont Metro station and surrounding transport links.

Acting Minister for Lands and Property Kate Washington said the agreement marked the beginning of a new chapter for the site.

Wentworth Park has played an important role in New South Wales’ sporting history, and today we’re beginning an exciting new chapter for this iconic public site,” said Washinton.

“The Minns Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to return this land to the community, creating new sporting fields, more open space, thousands of new homes and lasting community infrastructure for a growing inner Sydney.”

Planning Minister Paul Scully said the expanded park would provide much-needed public green space alongside new housing developments planned for the area.

The government also confirmed it will allocate $10 million through the Greyhound Capital Grants Program to upgrade other tracks across New South Wales as metropolitan racing transitions away from Wentworth Park.

Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) said it had worked with the GBOTA and the state government to bring forward the industry’s departure, rather than continuing race meetings until the lease expired in 2027.

Chief executive Steve Griffin said the organisation wanted the venue’s final meeting to coincide with the Million Dollar Chase.

“It just wouldn’t have been right to allow the venue to peter out with the end of the lease,” Griffin said. “This way we will make it the biggest night to remember for all in our sport, and all those who want to come along and reminisce.”

Griffin also rejected suggestions the earlier departure reflected broader concerns about the future of greyhound racing, describing claims it had been driven by criticism of the industry’s animal welfare record as “beyond ludicrous”.

The closure comes more than a decade after the greyhound racing industry faced intense scrutiny following the ABC’s 2015 Four Corners investigation into live baiting, which prompted a special commission of inquiry and widespread reforms. Animal welfare remains a continuing point of debate surrounding the sport.

GBOTA chief executive Daniel Weizman described the closure as a significant moment for participants while emphasising the organisation’s focus on metropolitan racing beyond Wentworth Park.

“It is naturally a sad time saying goodbye to a venue that has been the heart and soul of the sport for just shy of a century,” he said.

“This is a transition for the sport and we will continue to work closely with GRNSW on a sustainable and vibrant future for the sport.”

After the final meeting on 16 October, Saturday metropolitan greyhound racing will relocate to Gosford, before later moving to Richmond while a new Sydney Metropolitan Racing Precinct is developed. GRNSW says it expects to announce the location of the replacement venue before the end of the year.