When it comes to thinking outside the box with greyhounds, Stephen Lambley cannot be beaten.
Lambley keeps his team of four fit and healthy using a technique successful with champion two-year-old thoroughbred Crown Jester, who won the 1981 Todman Slipper Stakes.
"At that time I was working for Crown Jester's trainer Vic Thompson and he would keep the horse's leg soreness under control by regularly standing Crown Jester in big plastic garbage bins filled with ice.
"I was with Vic for four years and also had three years with trainers Harry Clarke and two years with Norm Williamson.
"I learned from them all, helping to break in Blockbuster, Harry Clarke's top notcher and riding trackwork on Just Topic, who won a Thousand Guineas.
"But it was Vic Thompson's technique with Crown Jester I adapted for my greyhounds.
"When we get home from a race meeting, I stand each dog in ice for two or three minutes, then walk them in the park and giving them a big hearty stew of pasta and gravy beef before bedtime.
"Because dogs are unable to sweat the ice treatment gets harmful lactic acid out of their system.''
Lambley has been scoring notable results recently, with his greyhounds Dun Ya Dash and Piccadilly Sky qualifying for this Saturday's Group 1 Ladbrokes Vic Peters semi-finals.
He only has only Dun Ya Dash, Piccadilly Sky, Kazmic's Spirit and Kazmic's Revenge in work, and although the latter weakened to finish fifth in his Classic heat last Saturday night, he is the fastest of the quartet.
The Padstow trainer, now 57, has held a licence since he was 18 and is having a stellar year.
In 2015 his four dog team have landed winning doubles at Bulli and Goulburn (twice) as well as notching a treble at Goulburn.
"My father Alan was a GBOTA director who trained a small team at Rozelle,'' Lambley said.
"After school my job was to excercise dad's dogs so I would take a big bag of lollies and walk the greyhounds for two hours every afternoon.''
"At 18 I won at Appin and Bulli with my first dog, Tiger's Reflex, while my next greyhound, Busy's Reflex, won at Nowra on a Friday and backed up 72 hours later to win at Harold Park at 66/1 ($67).
"In 1986 I paid $3500 for an unbroken 10 months old pup by Brother Fox from Belandor, who had been a top notcher for Jimmy McGlinn, still a trainer at Warnervale.
"Jimmy didn't want to sell this pup but I pestered him until he relented and, racing as Sambo Fox, he won 19 races for me, including two in the city, and defeated the 1987 Paws Of Thunder winner SEE YAH in a race at PENRITH.
"Sambo Fox and Clark No Ee remain the best greyhounds I have trained.
"I won 21 races with Clark No Ee, including the Canberra Distance Championship while the dog gave me my biggest buzz by winning first-up over 720m at Wentworth Park.
"He had finished fourth to Cosmic Rumble in a heat of the 2010 Golden Easter Egg and I nominated him for a 720m race 48 hours later.
"The grader rang me to see if I had made an error and had intended to enter Clark No Ee for a 520m event but I knew the dog would stay and he led all the way."
Lambley said
"I have always been a fan of swimming greyhounds and because Clark No Ee had chalky bones I reckon I gave him 200 swims from the time he was eight months of age until he was nearly ready to race.
"Another good dog I trained was Fielding, which I bought as an unraced dog for $8000 of a 30.36 trial at Dapto.
"It was a ridiculous amount but I had won the money on a 'pick four' at the horses so invested it in Fielding.
"Fiedling won a dozen races as did Sid Rules, who was very good up the straight.
Lambley is a big believer in mixing his greyhounds' training regime, often to good effect.
"I vary my dogs' routine, power walking them one day, swimming them behind my rowboat in George's River the next, and slipping them up the straight at Appin a day later," he said.
"I've been lucky enough to have had fine mentors like Barry Lazzarini, Jimmy Hall, Jimmy McGlinn and Frank Sanotti.
"Jimmy McGlinn taught me about rearing youngsters, advising they should be three months in a long, straight yard, before spending a similar amount of time in a square paddock so they learn to twist and turn, which they have to do in a race.
"And I used to go to Frank Sanotti's at 9am, bath his dogs for him, and stay until 3pm, soaking up every piece of knowledge this man would impart.''
