Caption: Trainer Jamie Hosking and handler Chenille Yeomans with their Capelbourne Cup quadrella performers (Race 1) Vitesse Earn, (Race 5) Detention, (Race 7) Ritza Rocket, (Race 8) Capelbourne Cup Columbian King. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)

By TERRY WILSON

THE cheekily-named Columbian King is one step away from clinching a Capalaba Greyhound of the Year award for trainer Jamie Hosking.
With a month remaining in the year, Columbian King holds a narrow margin over Raised By Wolves in the race for the straight track’s 2020 honours.
For Hosking, Racing Queensland’s  2019 Young Achiever of the Year award winner, Columbian King has done extremely well for Churchable-based Hosking.
The black dog (Dyna Double One-Pauls Memory) moved to 86 points after running second during Capalaba’s first Wednesday midday race meeting last month.
He headed Raised By Wolves (James Robinson) by seven points heading into the festive season. Robinson is also based at Churchable, west of Ipswich.
While Raised By Wolves (My Bro Fabio-Gut Wrenching) has had a great year,  Columbian King had perhaps a better season by winning four of the straight  track’s feature events, capping his run with victory in the Capalaba Derby not long after winning the Capelbourne Cup.
Along the way Columbian King also took the Queensland Straight Track Championship as well as the Capalaba Grand Prix.
In the Capelbourne Cup, run during a non-TAB meeting on Melbourne Cup day, the black dog ran a career-best 19.45 seconds, not too far shy of Leeroy Rogue’s 19.22s track record, although a strong 9.0 tail wind helped its cause.
Asked if he thinks Columbian King can edge closer to breaking the record, Hosking replied: “He’s about a 19.50s consistently but in saying that he’s improving all the time, and he’s only 27 months old.
“Can he get the record? He has to find a few lengths and Leeroy Rogue was a great dog that won a Group 1 in Tasmania.
“But he seems to be getting better.”
Hosking has his eyes on another Capalaba feature, the Anniversary Cup early his month, to build on the GOTY points tally.
It was a red-letter day for Hosking on Melbourne Cup day. He took five runners to the track and returned home with four winners.
Away from Columbian King, his charges to salute the judge were Vitesse Earn  (El Grande Senor-Nova Magic), Detention (Jury-Velocity Spice) an $8 shot, and Ritza Rocket (Ritza Lenny-Nymeria).
Then it came to Derby day and Hosking took home two more winners in Columbian King and Wynburn Rambo (Dyna Double One-Wynburn Arrow).
The other feature race that day was the Capalaba Futurity, won by Flaming Rose for Jason Schmidt.
Hosking will spell Columbian King after the Anniversary Cup, but is not sure if he will take the star to Albion Park.
“He hasn’t shown me that yet (if he can handle the 520m journey) although he won his Novice there in 30.20 seconds,” said Hosking.
Meanwhile the first Wednesday midday meeting (the club has 26 programmed for the year) was fittingly rewarding for veteran trainer and former volunteer club manager Bob Patching.
Patching rugged up a winning double, via Jimary Turbo and Cracking Force.
The honour of winning the first Wednesday race went to Condong (NSW) trainer Lee Wylie with Tessie Desilver.
Wylie also celebrated with Patching because he owns his winner Cracking Force.
Now for those wondering about Columbian King’s race name, it is actually associated with notorious Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
“We bred the dog and struck on Pablo as a kennel name so it has been a bit of a running joke to have him racing as Columbian King,” said trainer Hosking.