Victorian greyhound trainer avoids ban despite dog being found with cocaine in system

A veteran greyhound trainer whose dog was found to have cocaine in its system at a race has avoided a temporary ban despite the industry regulator calling for one. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Vcat) on Thursday decided not to impose tougher penalties on Geoffrey Dalton, who was fined $300 after the dog tested positive for cocaine before a 2024 race. The Vcat decision came as the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds released industry data showing 30 greyhounds have died in or after Victorian races this year, more than anywhere else in Australia, with seven deaths this month alone. The Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) fined Dalton in February 2025 and slapped him with a nine-month disqualification which it wholly suspended, meaning he was not actually prohibited from participating in the industry. At the time, Dalton told VRT he had “no knowledge” of how the dog, Soda Apache, was exposed to cocaine before the race at the Meadows in Melbourne’s north on 6 March 2024. He pleaded guilty to failing to present a greyhound free of any prohibited substance, and failing to keep treatment records. The state regulator, Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV), went to Vcat to appeal VRT’s decision, arguing the suspended disqualification was inadequate and Dalton should have been temporarily banned from the industry. …