Elson bullish about Limited Edition ahead of Queensland Flame heats

By Jordan Gerrans

Yandina Creek trainer Travis Elson thinks Limited Edition is ready to show her top form in the heats for the Listed Queensland Flame on Thursday evening at Albion Park.

Bred by Travis’ parents, Limited Edition spent around four months on the sidelines earlier this year and is building back into her new campaign, registering two sharp runs over the shorter 395-metre trip this month.

She is back up to her pet distance – 520 metres – a journey she has won at 11 times – this week in the third of four Flame heats from Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club.

The Listed Queensland Flame is set to provide Queensland greyhounds and trainers the opportunity to land a spot in the inaugural running of the $1.145 million TAB Phoenix.

Racing Queensland earlier this year announced the Flame would be run on the first major night of the TAB Golden Greys Summer Racing Carnival at Albion Park on December 2, offering $37,500 in its own right and a berth in the new million-dollar feature to the winner.

Leading trainer Elson backed the new concept.

“It is a good one,” he said.

“All these new races that keep coming in – look at the State Of Origin and others – I think they are a great idea for the sport.

“This will be a tough race and you need the right dog and a bit of luck to get through.”

Elson's bitch will have the black rug on her back on Thursday night and her trainer is worried about one of his mother’s dogs in the heat.

Hopeful Hope – who is trained by Cynthia Elson – has drawn outside Limited Edition in the pink box and Travis thinks as Hopeful Hope likes to jump and get to the rail, that could cause issues for his chaser on the inside. 

Limited Edition, who is from a Fernando Bale and Cyndie's Magic litter, also likes to head to the fence and will be looking to do so on Thursday night.

“Limited Edition had four months off while she was on season and we have brought her back slowly,” Elson said.

“We put her in 390-metre heats the other week and it was probably a little bit short for her.

“I was umming and ahhing about stepping her up to 500 metres straight away as she has been in work for a little bit.

“She is a 520-metre dog; those runs the last couple of weeks were building her up and getting her stronger for that extra distance.”

Travis’ parents – Bill and Cyndie Elson – bred Limited Edition from their prolific Cyndie's Magic line before their son took her on as a pup.

The black bitch has won 11 from 49 starts out of the 520-metre boxes at Albion Park, with 17 other minor placings, with a best time of 29.73 earlier in her career.

Elson feels his dog will be improved again if she can land in the Listed Final in seven days’ time.

“She will go alright, I think she is running close to that 30-second dead mark after coming back from that time off,” Elson said.

“If she can run where we want her to and make it through to the Final, she will be a lot better for the run next week.”

Limited Edition is one of six dogs the Travis Elson kennel have accepted for racing on Thursday night.

Four heats will be staged at the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club on Thursday with entrants required to be trained in Queensland. 

RQ was earlier this year announced as one of eight slot holders in the million-dollar Victorian greyhound feature, which will be staged at The Meadows on December 18 and includes $750,000 to the winner.

The final field for TAB The Phoenix will be confirmed on Friday, December 10 before the box draw is held on Sunday, December 12.

The Melbourne Greyhound Racing Association recently confirmed that dispensation had been approved for a unique box draw, with two authorised representatives from each slot holder tasked with selecting the box they deem most suitable for their greyhound.