How greyhound racing got Spann back on track

By Jordan Gerrans 

In the weeks and months after his beloved wife’s tragic passing, Wayne Spann was lost as a person and lacked motivation and direction.

It is almost five years since Debbie Spann’s sudden death from a heart attack that rocked the Bray Park-based Wayne.

As he reflects on the time since Debbie’s passing, Wayne believes it is greyhound racing that lifted him out of those dark days and provided him with a new passion.

The 51-year-old came into the greyhound industry with zero experience and on Thursday evening, he heads to Albion Park with a live chance in a black-type race.

Spann – who works in the medical industry away from his greyhound interests – reflected on his journey in the sport on Wednesday morning ahead of kennel star Buckeye Bullet’s tilt at the QGOLD Emerging Stayers Final over 600 metres.

“After an event like that, I was finding it pretty tough to get motivated about anything, I was really struggling in general with everything,” Spann recalls about the period after his late wife’s passing.

“About six months after it happened, I just decided that I had to do something to get my ass into gear and find something that gives me an interest.

“I decided to go and buy a greyhound and it has gone from there.”

While Buckeye Bullet is leading the way for the kennel these days, Spann cut his teeth as a conditioner with Deb's Blue Boy.

Named after his late wife, Deb's Blue Boy is the chaser that Spann learnt everything he now knows about the industry with and through.

He was the first dog he ever purchased.

Spann bought the son of My Bro Fabio and thought Hall Of Fame trainer Tony Zammit would eventually train him.

But, after a gentle nudge from Zammit and Sid Goodwin, Spann’s training career was now under way.

Deb's Blue Boy took almost 40 starts for him to break his maiden status but the dog and trainer ultimately found their way and he now has seven victories on his resume from a ton of starts. 

“I am so glad he was my first dog as he was such a tough dog and I was still learning as a trainer and together we grew,” he said.

“The dog was named after my wife.”

From taking almost 40 starts to win a race with a dog to racing in a Listed Final on a Thursday night on the big stage, the keen dog man has certainly come a long way in the last four years.

A last start winner at Ipswich, Buckeye Bullet will begin from the all-important red box on Thursday night over 600 metres.

The QGOLD Emerging Stayers Final is one of seven Listed events for Sunshine State-bred greyhounds on the program.

Spann’s head is still spinning that a dog that he prepares will run in a race as prestigious as this one.

“It would be amazing to win a race like this, it is beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.

“I could never have dreamt that I would even be in a Listed race, let alone win one.

“It is something that I thought would never happen and so quickly with this dog.

“I knew he had ability from being a young dog but never in my wildest dreams would I think I be in a Listed race.”

While a large slice of the $24,000 on offer in the staying feature would be nice, Spann stresses that is not why he races greyhounds.

As he become a hobby trainer at the height of his struggles, he treats his dogs like they are part of his family – because they are.

“I did not come into the industry to win money, that is not the idea behind it,” he says.

“Just to watch my dog go around in a race is the most amazing feeling.

“The main priority for me is that they come home safely from their races and everything else they do, that is a bonus.

“My dogs are what keep me company as I live alone.

“At night when I get home from work, they are on the couch with me or in bed as well.

“They will sleep beside me in the bed and I often tell people that I have pets that race – not the other way around.”

Buckeye Bullet comes from the prolific Fabregas and Pennybacker litter which has produced star dog De Ferran and Jimmy The Singer.

The team behind De Ferran  - trainer Zammit and owner Darren Leeson – have helped bring Spann along the industry.

He picked up Deb's Blue Boy from them, as he did with Buckeye Bullet, who goes by “Jessie” around the kennel.

The QGOLD Emerging Stayers Final is a unique race on the feature racing calendar with no other age restricted 600 metre events in the Sunshine State.

It is hoped the race can build momentum in 2023 and beyond.

“I think it is a great race and it is fantastic that a race like this has been put on,” Spann said of the first running of the new feature race.

“He does not have a great record coming from the one box but I do not mind it in a race like this.

“He is not blessed with brilliant speed out of the boxes so I think he will be sitting just behind the leaders as they go around for the first time.

“If he can sit second or third, I know he will be strong at the end.”

The QGOLD Emerging Stayers Final is set to be a stepping stone for the four-time career winner from 22 attempts.

After conversations with leading trainer Zammit, Spann is keen to step up his kennel star even further in distance in the future.

The black dog has returned strongly from a back injury in the middle of the year and has put together a sharp run of form, including being unbeaten over 630 metres at Ipswich.

“I made sure we gave him lots of time to recover from it and since he has come back, he has had nine starts and he has not finished worse than fourth with a few wins in there,” he said.

“The time away really helped him out, it may have matured him and any other niggles he had, he had plenty of time to get over them.

“Once he was right to go, he was in great condition and he is really going well at the moment.

“He is really strong at the end of the 630 metre races and I am hopeful at the end of the month we can see what he can do over 700 metres at Albion.”

As well as Zammit, Leeson and Sid Goodwin’s guidance, Spann says he has been aided by several other participants since he started out in the industry.

Christine Goodwin, Doug and Heather Gladman as well as Paul Cauchi junior have also provided support and knowledge over the last four years, he said.