The Corner with Garry Chittick

The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.

Perhaps it is my lifelong closeness and love of the sport; perhaps I am a negative nark who enjoys the role of critic; perhaps it is that my involvement at all levels of racing that enables a broad view of the need for current leaders to understand what really is happening at the coalface. Most facets of life and industry constantly change and evolve – racing, however, has very little room to change. To me, this is the beauty of our sport. Imagine with the money involved, given the opportunity to have an advantage over a competitor, how the face of our sport would change. And so you two today have to be about survival. The articles this week about the declining foal crops can’t be ignored. USA over 20 years, the crop has halved. Our mates, Australia, are contemplating a 2027 foal crop of 9,000, seems a lot. Ten years ago they were nearly double this projection. We are heading towards 2,500 in 2027; as you can see, we are not alone.

There appears to be an awakening in Australia of the need to strengthen Country Racing. A recognition that horses require people with passion; the industry was never going to sustain itself with metropolitan breeders. I watch the Saturday racing and love the enthusiasm of the multiple owners, however, ask those 20 owners when their filly retires where is she going: “to the sale”, and why not. Thirty years ago there would have been a competitive buying market for any with black print, or city winners. I remember having aspiring investors calling with the request to find them a mare. I declined many – my reason: I was a buyer, so the likelihood that I would pass up the best offered to me meant it was difficult to be fair. Potential buyers were given a two-hour lecture on the vagaries of breeding then any mare they accessed first I would fairly appraise for them. The two hours were imperative; you could guarantee five years down the track a bent-legged foal, a negative test, mare slipped, chose the wrong stallion, incessant VET accounts, agistment, then service fees. The interest rates go up on the home mortgage when, all of a sudden, we stud owners get the call, “Can we meet?” It is always a lot easier when the meeting starts with, “Now, remember the advice I gave you five years ago?” It didn’t solve their problem. However, those new entrants are pretty scarce now; hence my opening gambit: you need a love of the sport and animal to be involved.

The issue is, can we turn it around. Many suggest even more encouraging depreciation rates may help. My advice has always been taxation advantages should not be your reason for getting involved. One of the two of you will be old enough to remember the tax-driven special partnerships of the early eighties. Throughout Australasia dozens, I can’t think of one that survived. 

Service Fees, well, good luck to the owners of the colt the studs are fighting over; if lucky, one in 20 might make it. When I first put my toe in the water, our potential sire was valued on the basis of how long would it take to recover the investment. Bearing in mind by the end of their first crop of three-year-olds your clients will have made up their minds, so you need to be out in four years. Also, as my initial clients were predominantly rural, they were not attempting to breed money, meaning if they liked your horses, chances were they stuck to him; now, after year one, the tide rapidly recedes.

I could go on forever, and I have not solved the problem. This Corner needs to be a two-part issue. Why? Because the more I write, the deeper I dig; however, I will start the process by emphasising the need to maintain the rural participation, they will not hang around without the involvement in their local club. 

It is a case of me repeating myself, but spend time in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington, etc., and see how many breeders you can find.

No foals, no racehorses, no sport. I believe we can do better than that.

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