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.
The plan, fortunately, failed, and rather than pay to return him to the Wairarapa, I gave him away. Therefore, a sale average of $600, we have stuck to the challenges with a significant improvement in both averages and clearance rates.
Are we nervous leading up to next week’s challenges, of course we are. The challenge of presenting 70 yearlings to peak for the week is, in my view, more difficult than training to race a similar number, after a racehorse may miss a race but can be presented again. Our withdrawals’ next opportunity is our Ready to Run, another eight months away. I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our team – enthusiastic, young, dedicated, and well-managed by our dedicated yearling manager.
We now trust that the reputation of our industry will encourage our supporters to help find a home where the horses can live up to our justified reputation. We at Waikato, with half a dozen sires, play a role beyond the strength of our draught – good luck to all who supported us two years ago. The sires offered across the board will continue to maintain NZ’s reputation, our champion Savabeel continues to add to his remarkable record, already the sire of eight stakes winners this season; we are getting very close to surpassing Zabeel’s total. Now well clear of Sir Tristram, should the next step be reached, it will be a record for a long time.
Super Seth, what a start. His four Group 1 winners last year could not disappoint. Ocean Park is having a great year, Ardrossan is on the move, Noverre has met all expectations, which has reflected in his sales.
Waikato’s record of 11 Breeder of the Year titles requires no explanation. We’ve got them because we earned them. With our quality broodmare band, there is every likelihood we will compete again.
We look forward to your company. We are happy to receive Aussie currency, those who use it are receiving a 13% discount – good luck to you.
Cheers,
G
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
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