I have never been to Royal Ascot before, I have actually never been to England before so I didn’t know what to expect to be honest. But when I told everyone I was going, they just told me to ‘hold on to my hats’ and I’ve come to the end of the week and I still have all my hats, so I’m stoked about that.
It was quite a long week to wear heels, I feel like I want to amputate my feet with the amount of ground I covered, but it was so worth it, as they all say: Pain is beauty. It was the most ridiculously awesome week of racing I have ever had in my life and I can’t wait to come back already.
Charlotte Chittick at the Goffs UK London Sale
The dress code seems odd when you first hear about it, but actually that probably ended up being my favourite part of the event, because there is nothing like that anywhere else. It’s so cool watching people just walk around in top hats and tails like it’s normal and the women have to wear dresses that are below the knees and there is even a rule about the widths of the straps of your dresses.
Before going everyone told me to watch out because the dress code is ridiculously strict and it’s actually so cool to see people make such an effort. It was 100 per cent the most classy place I have ever been in my life. My favourite part was definitely the hats and the outfits - no matter how horrendous, classy or beautiful they were, you got a glimpse into the personality of the people wearing them.
"My favourite part (of Royal Ascot) was definitely the hats and the outfits - no matter how horrendous, classy or beautiful they were, you got a glimpse into the personality of the people wearing them." - Charlotte Chittick
The Goffs UK London Sale was also absurd - I have been to a lot of Sales in my life, but I have never been to one like that before. I didn’t know what I was in for, I was just told to put on some heels and a cute summer dress and I just expected to see some horses sell. Everyone was drinking Pimms in the sunshine and it was an amazing atmosphere. It was a great thing to do to get everyone in the mood for Ascot week and it really set the tone for the whole meeting.
For the week I was following around Gai Waterhouse doing her ‘Mic-ed Up’ series and going to Ascot with Gai was the most awesome experience ever. I had so much fun with her. She is the most awesome human to be around. We had such a fun time all week. Gai Waterhouse is not just an icon in Australia, she is an icon everywhere. You walk into a box with her and everybody just wants a picture with her - she is so admired and respected and everyone was just delighted to see her. She lights up a room and her energy is so infectious.
"Gai Waterhouse is not just an icon in Australia, she is an icon everywhere... she is so admired and respected and everyone was just delighted to see her. She lights up a room and her energy is so infectious." - Charlotte Chittick
She’s also not only knowledgeable, but she is a pleasure to be around. She has taught me so much over the last week; from how tall a man’s top hat should be to what a horse’s coat should look like in the paddock. I was definitely in the right company for my first experience of Royal Ascot.
The track at Ascot is incredible. I can’t believe the rise! I have heard about it before but I have never really taken it into account, but Gai explained it to me properly and I can’t believe that there is literally a massive rise in the track - a hill pretty much and it’s just not something you get in New Zealand or Australia. It’s amazing how the horses can pull through and perform like they do.
Hermione Drummond Moray, Gai Waterhouse and Charlotte Chittick
For the week, we were staying in London and it was quite funny, because me and Hermione, who I was working alongside all week, would get ready for racing early in the morning and go to the train station in our hats and heels and the looks we were getting during rush hour from people in their suits and ties were very entertaining. We were getting some peculiar looks, that’s for sure.
In terms of racing, the standout for me was definitely Nature Strip. We were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to film the reaction of the connections of the horse during the race and obviously when he won it was amazing. There were so many emotions flying around and just to see how much a horse’s performance meant to so many people, well not even the performance, just the horse in general really, I have never seen anything like that before. It was ridiculous to be so close to them at that moment.
Then we got to go to the winner’s circle and film how it all went in there. I was probably about four metres away from Nature Strip, so that’s an experience I will never forget in my life. The crowds were going wild, everybody was screaming and the atmosphere was just electric and completely incomparable to anything I have experienced before. There is nothing that matches the crowd at Royal Ascot - it’s incredible.
As a Kiwi it was a proud moment because there was so much Kiwi connection to Nature Strip, with James McDonald, Chris Waller, Sophie Baker as well as Steve Hansen and his wife Tash were there, he is the ex-coach of the All Blacks, so that was quite cool for me. I felt so lucky to be able to experience all of that. It was also great because my brother George came for two days and he looked so funny in a top hat - he looked like The Monopoly Man! My dad was FaceTiming us every 10 minutes, it obviously would have been cool if he’d have been with us!
Charlotte and George Chittick
But my goal for 2023: Garry Chittick at Ascot in a top hat and tails.
