Hosking kennel full of confidence ahead of Gold Bullion series

By Jordan Gerrans

For a number of different reasons in recent months, Churchable trainer Jamie Hosking feared he would be without a genuine Gold Bullion contender in the summer of 2024.

There were times where he thought he may have one.

Hosking hoped he would have two.

But, there was some chance he would have none at all.

Just days out from the heats of the show-piece Group 1 of the Queensland Golden Greys Summer Racing Carnival, the top Sunshine State dog man is confident with his ‘Bullion team’.

Jen’s Joy bounced back to some of her best form last Thursday evening while kennel mate Oh Minnie ran well through the prized Golden Ticket series.

Oh Minnie posted her personal best time in the heat of the series - 29.92 seconds - over the 520 metre trip at Albion Park. 

The speedy bitches have walked different paths to Thursday’s heats of the $375,000 Gold Bullion and Hosking is confident with the fire-power his kennel boasts.

Oh Minnie ran in the rescheduled Golden Ticket Final on Saturday morning and has been described by some greyhound pundits as the ‘surprise packet’ of the summer carnival.

“It was good to see her finally break 30 seconds at Albion, which is what the good dogs can do,” Hosking said.

“She is going as good as ever. She has been running really fast times at Ipswich, as well.”

Owned by Clinton Kratzmann, Oh Minnie has seen plenty of Australia in recent months and that is why Hosking thinks she is running in career-best touch.

She headed to Central Queensland for a Christmas Cup Final victory late last year and has also travelled to Maitland and Casino in recent months.

With a sizeable number of dogs on his Churchable property that he needs to care for on a daily basis, Hosking has sent his brother-in-law around the countryside with Oh Minnie.

“I think she is a bitch that likes a bit of change,” the former Darwin-based dog man said.

“I think going up to Rocky and racing against lower classed dogs, that allows her to just go up there and do her own thing and has given her some confidence again.

“Travelling, you get a bit more one-one-one time with them as you spend a fair bit of time in the car with them.

“She has not disappointed when she has travelled and it has not hurt her when she has come back in her racing. She has come back with a bit of confidence.”

Oh Minnie is a daughter of Crazy Bonnie who Hosking trained and owned during her race career, which ended in late 2020.

“A few months ago I thought she was a dog for the summer carnival but she tipped off a little bit,” Hosking said.

“We had her pinned as something really handy but she was disappointing in a few runs and she now seems to have come good at the right time.”

Kennel mate Jen’s Joy appeared to have the world at her feet late last year after winning through to the Group 1 Ipswich Cup Final.

Jen’s Joy finished third in the feature event at just her 10^th career start.

She grabbed another black-type top three finish just a few weeks later in the Group 3 Rising Stars Final at Albion Park.

Since then, not much has gone to plan.

She did not finish better than third in her next four runs.

Reflecting back on those runs through November, December and January, Hosking described it as a frustrating period but says it was of no fault of the dog’s as she was just getting into awkward spots in races.

She showed a flash of her best last Thursday, winning a mixed fourth and fifth grade race in 30.03 seconds.

“She is the quickest dog I have got by far,” Hosking said.

“She has been getting into strife in her races.

“She is a very fast bitch so it was good to see her get out in front and show what she can do.”

With the heavy track and rain around last Thursday during the completed Albion Park program, Hosking thinks the 30.03 second performance stacks up well for her tilt at the Bullion.

She ran within a length of Bear’s Bullet in the Ipswich Cup last year and the trainer believes Jen’s Joy can recapture that form.  

“That was our testing point on Thursday night to see if we would go to the Bullion with her,” Hosking said.

“We kept thinking that if she could not win a graded race then it would be tough against free for all dogs.

“She got it done on Thursday night and now we will head to the Bullion heats.

“A lot of people have been saying that maybe she does not go as good at Albion as she does Ipswich but it was a matter of her having a few runs on the board and getting some clear air.”

As well as his two Bullion-bound stars, Hosking says his kennel is currently educating a big crop of well-bred pups that is hopeful will make it to the races in the near future.