Garry’s Corner: News
The Corner with Garry Chittick
No Corner last week; this week the Annual Thoroughbred Racing Awards night certainly deserves acknowledgment. It is the second of two nights of measurement of Thoroughbred achievements for the year, with the first focussing on our Breeders’ awards.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
It is difficult to maintain momentum when sitting in judgment of racing’s governance. After all, I get no pleasure in searching for non-credible decisions, but one is perpetually bewildered by the rationale behind many of the positions that make little sense.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
Mary and I had a great weekend. As usual, Taupo Race Club put on a couple of days that encourage you to go to the races. The lead-in to the day was an hour or so at the iconic Yacht Club Bar – an easy place to be, perched above the lake: wine, beer and pizzas provided. A chance to meet and greet, bearing in mind the visitors that make the effort to attend.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
The two of you will be aware of my ongoing concern as to the future of our sport. You could argue I have a vested interest; well, I did have, but my interest now is to give the future generations the opportunity my generation had. Now I can tell you, hand on heart, there were many financial thin times. 1975 was my fledgling start with five mares on 130 acres that occasionally flooded with the well-bred, non-race-winning Super Gray.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
It would appear I now have to continue my weekly Corner with the amount of rumblings at the start of our new racing season. I have been around long enough to know we can never please all; my tenure as Chairman of the Racing Board was subjected to as much vitriol as subsequent Boards have had to bear, so what’s different this time, or is it different.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
Are there any benefits in growing older. Well, so long as your memory has not yet failed, then there is the knowledge accumulated from past experience. Like me, many as we age, develop a strong sense of cynicism; you know, we’ve seen it all before.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
I gave The Corner a miss last week. After all, how could I compete with the expose Mike Guerin published in the NZ Herald. Let’s be fair, I am sure the two of you who …
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
A couple of years ago, I hosted a number of friends and family at a local restaurant to enjoy my 80th birthday. It seems like yesterday, we had a great time with numerous testimonials, both serious and humorous. I am astounded at how the past two years have added to my CV in what seems like a flash. I can only believe my involvement in Thoroughbred Racing has provided all one could wish for as one ages.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
It is not the easiest role, that of Chairman of our Thoroughbred Racing Board. Like all chairmanships, one’s mind is rarely not occupied with the responsibility. To our Chairman, I say thanks. A lifetime in the industry, Chairman of our largest club, it is difficult to identify someone more suited to the role.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
This is The Corner I never wanted to pen. The recent publishing of the leaked TAB Advisory group is a sad reflection of where we have descended to. It doesn’t matter who is right or wrong, what matters is how we have we lost our sense of pride and character that made people want to be involved.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
It’s been a couple of months since I shared my thoughts with the two of you. The way our industry is currently reacting to the apparent issues, there has been plenty of subject matter to brush over.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
Well, here we go again, this is the fifty-first consecutive sale Mary and I have been a vendor. My first auspicious entry was not at the Trentham Premier Sale, no, it was a couple at Waikato. They were underdone; the Indian Order, I think, sold for $1200, the Holy Smoke went up in smoke. A complete lunatic, it was suggested we remove him from the grounds and return when close to sale in the hope we could secretly drop him on some unsuspecting enthusiast.
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