I Do sets record

23 June 2014

I Do broke a long-standing Waikato Stud record yesterday when she triumphed in the Listed Tauranga Classic. It was the 13th win of the No Excuse Needed mare’s career and the most ever by a horse raced by the Matamata farm.

“Lady Aloof held the record with 12,” said trainer Allan Sharrock, who co-bred and part-owns the mare with the stud.

“She is getting better and better and Mark (Chittick) said to me do you want to breed from her and I said I think we’ll earn more from her foals than racing.”

She will be served in the spring and Sharrock is keen to give the rising seven-year-old one more crack at a top-flight race.

“I’d love to have another go at a Group One with her – she would be very competitive in a race like the Captain Cook,”he said.

I Do was sent out a dominant favourite at Tauranga and she never looked in any trouble. She raced behind the leaders before rider Jonathan Riddell asked her for a serious effort on straightening and they drew out for a comfortable win.

“She’s a class act and a beautiful horse to ride,” Riddell said.

“She’s got a great temperament and she’s not just a wet-tracker and I won a race (the Gr.3 Manawatu Challenge Stakes) on her on a good track.”

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.

14 May 2026

Sav’s girl Chispa targeting the Gr.1 Oaks

Savabeel filly Chispa enhanced her Queensland Oaks credentials with a dominant Randwick victory for Chris Waller and James McDonald, with the Pencarrow Stud-bred and raced filly surging clear over 1800 metres in impressive fashion.