Bear’s Bullet to light up the Flame

By Andrew Smith

A tilt at the Group 1 Melbourne Cup was tempting, but in the end the chance to book a spot in the world’s richest greyhound race proved too good to pass up for Travis Elson.

His star bitch Bear’s Bullet will line up in tomorrow night’s Queensland Flame at Albion.

Not only does the race carry a purse of $90,000 – with $60,000 to the winner – it also carries a ticket into the $1.65 million The Phoenix at the Meadows on December 16.

It’s why Elson elected to bypass a trip to Victoria after Bear’s Bullet took out the Ipswich Cup earlier this month.

“It would have been nice to go down and have a go for the Melbourne Cup but it clashes with the Flame,” Elson said.

“It’s probably the easiest way into the Phoenix, is by winning the Flame here in Queensland so that was our option to stay here…that’s at the top of the pecking order, the Phoenix.

“It’s huge, huge money but even just straight out the Flame $60,000 to the winner, that’s extraordinary prize money.

“To win that and go straight into a million-dollar race which is a straight-off race as well with no heats – it’s a good way into a nice race that’s for sure.”

The Yandina Creek-based trainer missed out having a runner in last year’s edition of the Flame, and is determined to make amends in 2023.

Elson believes freshening up Bear’s Bullet has her primed for the opening feature of the Golden Greys Summer Racing Carnival.

“These big races you’ve got to have the dog going well at the right time and we just didn’t have the quality of dog for the race at the time last year,” Elson said.

“Obviously you’d love to have a runner in it every year, but these good dogs - you don’t have them all the time.

“She’s had a couple of weeks off after the Ipswich Cup win and just keep her nice and fresh so she’s got that nice box speed and ping out and get to the front, that’s her style of racing.”

Bear’s Bullet will jump from box one tomorrow night.

She’ll come up against a stacked field including Albion Park track record holder Jay Is Jay, Million Dollar Chase regional champion Magistrate and Ipswich Cup runner-up Get Carter.

“They’re all good dogs - Get Carter, he’s going really well at the moment and you look at the sort of dogs that are going well at the present time,” Elson said.

“Jay is Jay and Magistrate, there’s a couple of really nice dogs there so won’t be an easy race that’s for sure.

“(Bear’s Bullet) needs to be out in front on the bunny and ‘catch me if you can’ - that’s her style of racing and just hope some of these strong dogs aren’t sitting on her tail turning for home.”

Elson will be keeping an eye on the results of a competition off the track also.

The winner of the Chase The Flame initiative will be announced at Albion, with the prize a full year of ownership at no cost, complete with a ready-to-race greyhound.

That dog will be Summer Shark, who Elson has raised from the litter of Fernando Bale and Nan’s Magic and has already trialed well.

“She’s a lovely little blue bitch, she’s been trialing well and she’ll be a great little race bitch I think,” Elson said.

“She’s definitely above average, she’s a nice little pup so she’s a ready-made greyhound that’s ready to go on and win races.

“To go out to buy a greyhound pup and to wait the time and rear it and get it to the track it may not be fast enough to race, whereas with “Sharkie” she’s ready to go and ready to win races.”

Elson will continue to train the dog, but it's daughter Summer who can attest to Sharkie’s calm nature, having helped raise the 20-month-old from when she was a puppy.

It's where the race name Summer Shark stems from.

“She’s a great dog – when I washed her for the first time, usually I tie them to the peg, but she just stood there and let me wash her,” Summer said.

“She’s very obedient to me - Dad always tries to suck up to her so she would come to him instead of me but she always stays with me instead of Dad.

“She’s a great dog, she’s very obedient, she’s lovely to everyone and never had a bad bone in her.”

Now in its third year, the Chase the Flame initiative aims to grow future participation and involvement in the sport.

“We need as many newcomers into the greyhound industry as we can and this is a great way of getting newcomers into it,” Elson said.

“Hopefully it starts them off and once they get ownership and win a race, hopefully that gives them the bug to extend more into the greyhound industry.”

The Golden Greys Summer Carnival will see more than $2 million in stakes on offer across eight feature race nights over 10 action-packed weeks, headlined by the $375,000 Group 1 Gold Bullion.

Click here to learn more about Chase The Flame.

Click here to see the full program for the 2023/24 Golden Greys Summer Carnival.