“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.