By Pat McLeod
During the six-hour drive from Yandina Creek on the Sunshine Coast to the Rockhampton Greyhound Racing Club on Friday morning, elite trainer Travis Elson will have plenty of time to ponder Bear’s Bullet’s path back to glory in 2024.
That starts with the pair contesting the $75,000-to-the-winner Group 2 Rockhampton Cup Final over 510 metres on Friday night.
Elson says Bear’s Bullet will follow a similar path to 2023.
But, already there are differences.
This time last year the tough, fast-starting bitch was back-up to her more illustrious kennel-mate, the Group 1 Gold Bullion-winning Hello Mike.
Both were part of Elson’s team in Rockhampton, but neither progressed past the heats.
This year Bear’s Bullet is not only in the Final, but jumping out of her skin after a two-and-a-half-month break from racing.
And, this year Bear’s Bullet is no longer the under-study.
While Hello Mike’s 2023 never got back into top gear after his Gold Bullion success, his ever-reliable side-kick blossomed.
Just a couple of weeks after the Rockhampton Cup Bear’s Bullet started a sensational run with a second in the Group 3 Brisbane Young Guns.