Racing minister Anthony Carbines says greyhound racing in Victoria continues to have state government support, backing those who put on the show.

The Minister was on track on Saturday night for the heats of the Melbourne Cup and spoke exclusively to Racing.com as part of the broadcast, reiterating to participants that the state of Victorian greyhound racing remained in good shape.

“You’ve always got to cut your cloth to suit the times,” Minister Carbines said.

“GRV are doing a fantastic job, with Peita Duncan, Stuart Laing and the team, they’re leading a great organisation, and I think we’re making sure again tonight, some of the concepts we have – the Melbourne Cup, the Phoenix and the like – are working really well. We’re getting great support from both our participants and racegoers and I think we’re going to see the best of that, not just through the heats tonight but again next week.

“The wagering’s settling, and I think things are only going to get better as the economy improves.

“What we’ve seen is the increases in prizemoney and returns to participants, and that’s due to a lot of hard work and dedication from them.”

Asked whether he had a message for participants, the Minister said: “We’re supporting welfare programs, we’re promoting the sport, we’ve got great innovations and racing opportunities, we want them to be supported to do the very best they can. We can’t put the show on without them.”

Elaborating on the government’s $1.6 million commitment to GRV’s digital tracking program, Minister Carbines said the roll out remained on track to be fully integrated by 2026.

“We want that accountability; that’s critical for growing the support of our sport and supporting and protecting our participants who love our dog and do great work,” he said.

“We see 2500 greyhounds have been homed (last financial year), 1000 of those through the GAP program.

“I sat down to have a coffee the other day, a greyhound is licking my hand there, and someone said, ‘have you got dogs’. I said, ‘no, but I spend a bit of time at the track’.

“Everyone’s got a story of why they’ve chosen to get involved. I think everywhere you see it, it’s a support for the sport … and people love their dogs.”

Minister Carbines also had a tip for viewers at home, declaring Big Energy a certainty to get through his Melbourne Cup heat.

“I was on the way in tonight and I bumped into Jackie Greenough and I wished her luck for the Cup next week. She said, ‘I’ve got to get there first, Anthony’,” he said.

The tip came to fruition, with Big Energy saluting in the final race of the night.