Bundaberg boss’ ‘special’ speedster in hunt for Grand Prix glory

By Pat McLeod

Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club president Stephen Bland doesn’t play favourites with his 12-strong race team, but he admits he will find that difficult when Mount Cambla contests the club’s Grand Prix Final on Monday afternoon.

The improving speedster has already proven how tough he is.

Bland and his partner on and off the track, Louise Cameron, bred the Sennachie and Hoya litter of four that included Mount Cambla.

“When he was about six months old we nearly lost him,” Bland recalls.

“He contracted a condition that is similar to meningitis. It attacks the brain and the result was the pup couldn’t walk.

“He was very sick and we didn’t think he would survive. Our vet said that there was little we could do except take him home and let nature take its course.

“We kept him under constant care, fed him up on vitamins and eventually he turned the corner and started to improve.”

However, Bland says the road to recovery was a long one.

“It took about six months for us to feel really comfortable that he was going to be ok and then it wasn’t until he was about 18 months of age that the signs of the illness had disappeared,” he said.

“Even now he still suffers from what the vet calls ‘reflective pain’. If you touch him in a certain place his brain is telling him that he is hurting, but there is no actual pain there.”

Bland decided to persist with a track career with the dog and both trainer and greyhound seem to be rapt in that decision.

“He really loves racing,” Bland said.

“Also, he keeps improving, which is fantastic.

“All of our dogs are special to us, but, when you see what he has been through it is hard not to feel something special for him.”

To date Mount Cambla has had 28 starts for eight wins and seven placings for a prize money collect of $19,630.

That tally could improve markedly with Monday’s $11,600 Final, especially after the dog set another personal best (30.18 seconds) with his heat win earlier this week.

“If he jumps well (from box three) in the Final he is a big chance,” Bland said.

“He is a dog that likes to be in front. So, if he jumps in front he will be very hard to beat. He has been coming out of the boxes very well, so fingers crossed.

“We have worked him up to this distance of 531 metres and it appears to be the distance that suits him really well.

“We stepped him back up to the 531 metres three starts ago and he has won all three starts at Bundaberg since then and each race he has improved his time.

“It would be really good if that improvement continued on Monday.”

Bland has pin-pointed fellow local trainer David Plummer’s Smart And Classy, who will exit from box seven, as the biggest danger in the race.

He ran a sizzling best of the night 30.01 seconds to win the second Grand Prix heat.

“That was a quick time so this will be a very competitive race,” Bland said. 

“I haven’t done too much with my dog since that run, just down to the beach for a swim and a run. He loves that.

“It would be great to win this Final. The prize money is very good. I’m not in it for the money, just for the enjoyment of it.

“But, of course you enjoy it more when you are winning.”

From a club perspective, Bland said work was about to start on an extra 24 kennels within the club’s kennel block.

With work on those expected to be completed by the middle of July he said the club would then be able to move from a 10-race program up to 12 races.

“That will be a big plus for the club,” he said.

“At the moment we are well over-subscribed with nominations for our meetings, so the extra two races each meeting will be welcomed by everyone.”