Farm yarns: Mark Chittick

We’re catching up with the WS Team each fortnight to update everyone on what’s been happening at the farm, on the race track, who’s been visiting WS and everything in between. This time we have Mark in the driver’s seat for an update – enjoy!
Lovely to get off the farm for the weekend last week for an incredible racing occasion in The Everest at Randwick. Great to catch up with some Australian friends and counterparts at this time of the year.
Everest Day was nothing short of incredible. What they have done and what they are achieving is phenomenal – a fantastic crowd in amazing spirits, great racing and the whole day was incredibly well run.
Not the result we wanted obviously, but I Wish I Win was really not himself at all. Usually, he’s very relaxed in the tie-up stalls pre-race and he certainly wasn’t that on Saturday, and the rest was history. But he has come through it good as gold, he’ll go for a spell now and we will look to come back in autumn and take things easy from there.
On the farm, the stallions are absolutely humming. Ardrossan and Noverre are serving good-sized books and are breeding incredibly well and getting them in foal – it’s great to have Savabeel back in the barn and having him breeding just like the old days.
We’re having a fantastic spring with lots of grass and of incredible quality, I think that’s really helping us have a great season.
The next step has started – the Gold Coast yearlings are in and getting close to starting on the Karaka Yearlings.
All the best for the weekend.

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Smart Love too smart this start
Smart Love (Savabeel ex Relentless Desire) made a winning return at Te Rapa on 14 September, storming home by 3.3 lengths. Racing in Garry Chittick’s colours, the four-year-old mare impressed for Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott after two solid trials.
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