By Isaac Murphy
The greyhound industry is mourning the loss of Michael Stephenson, who passed away last week.
Remembered by the wider greyhound community as a knockabout larrikin, those closest to Stephenson - like Jemma Daley and owner, breeder and close friend Tony Glover - knew he was a man of substance too as they begin to pick up the pieces and celebrate the man they call Tricky.
“He was a force to be reckoned with,” Daley said.
“I was in a bit of shock at first but when I saw Tony; I really fell apart because Tony, Tricky and me we just about come in the same sentence and that’s when we realised, he was gone.
“Since then, Tony and I have had the chance to sit down swap a few stories and have a few laughs, which I think will be really important for everyone involved with him going forward to remember the good times.
“It’s still been incredibly tough but so many people loved him we’re just trying to band together the best we can now.”
Tricky was invested in his passion of training dogs right until the end, never letting Daley off the hook with a few tips and tricks.
“Tricky was actually at my place Wednesday helping me out with a few things as he always did and Thursday morning, I got the phone call from Tony about what had happened,” Daley said.
“It was a hard day trying to process it all while also having to spring into action and come and pick up the all the dogs from Tricky’s place.
“A few people have said to me down the track 'you’ll be grateful that you got to spend some of that last day with him and see him at his best,' which is something I’m already thankful for.”
Stephenson took Daley under his wing as she transitioned from the thoroughbred industry into greyhounds and has championed the young trainer from day one.
“Tricky and I have had bad days, but we’ve had a lot more good ones and there was never a time where we were too busy to help eachother out,” Daley said.
“He’s made me as a greyhound trainer; he was the one person who was always pushing me to give it a go and I’ll be forever in debt to him for that.
“It was only the previous Friday we were driving home from Capalaba trials and he was telling me 'one day you’re going to have a kennel of good dogs.'
"Then yesterday Tony said to me 'I’m not farming the dogs out anymore, you take what you want' and I’m determined as anything to prove Tricky right.”
A lifelong greyhound man, he trained countless winners but his pride and joy was Hara’s Panda who last year gave him his first Group winner after almost 50 years in the sport.
“He was a force to be reckoned with as a trainer, you’ve only got to look at what he achieved with Hara’s Panda,” Daley said.
“A lot of people told him the dog would never get 500 metres and he ended his career with nine Albion Park wins over the distance and a Group 3 Townsville Cup over a similar distance.
“Through Tony, we’re lucky enough to have another strong line of Hara’s Annie pups coming through and I hope when people see them winning in the future they think of Tricky and his legacy.”
Races
Tony Glover may have never turned into the breeding powerhouse he is without the early influence of Tricky, a man he’s looked up to and worked alongside his entire life.
“Tricky and my dad worked together; I grew up with his sons Jamie and Bradley, we bought our first greyhound all those years ago and Tricky was the man we went to as a trainer and he’s been the man for me ever since,” Glover said.
“As he got into his training and I got more involved in breeding, we just grew closer to the point where we’d talk on the phone two or three times a day about what we were planning on doing next.
“He was like a second father to me; our interests were so aligned, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to share success with.”
Stephenson’s passing has left a gaping hole for Glover, but he’s determined to push on with the plans they made through all those long phone calls.
“The suddenness is what’s made it extra tough, we’ve got a nice litter coming through at the moment and he was so excited to get them to the track - we were going to go to the Grafton Maiden, and he couldn’t wait,” Glover said.
“That’s an experience we’re going to have to live without him which’ll be hard given how invested he was and how much he had left.
“The knowledge he did impart in the time he had was just incredible, he’d look out for those close to him first but if anyone asked for help or needed a leg up, he was the first one to jump at the chance.”
Glover and Stephenson were intertwined in everything they did, and there were special connections everywhere you looked.
“We started calling the line Hara’s because it’s Sarah spelt backwards which is my daughter’s name and he loved all of those greyhounds, but Hara’s Panda had a special place,” Glover said.
“He’d been training for 50 years and he got to share his first Group win with his great mate David Church up in Townsville last year.
“The dog’s been off the scene injured for some time, but we still think he’s got something left and would love to get him back in work and win a couple of races for Tricky.”
Michael is survived by his wife Annette, and sons Jamie and Bradley.
