The real reason Starship rejected Mark Chittick’s half-a-million-dollar donation

Waikato Stud owner Mark Chittick was left stunned after Starship didn't accept his half-a-million-dollar donation. Photo / Dean Purcell

Yesterday the Herald revealed the Starship Foundation rejected a donation to the tune of half-a-million dollars from one of New Zealand horse racing’s biggest names.

Mark Chittick is the owner of the thoroughbred nursery Waikato Stud and also owns the majority of four-year-old galloper I Wish I Win, which now races in Australia.

I Wish I Win won the A$10 million Golden Eagle race at Rosehill in Sydney on Saturday and the event came with a A$520,000 ($570,000) donation to a charity of the winning owner’s choice. Chittick chose the Starship Foundation.

Chittick originally said he was told by the charity they didn’t want to take money associated with racing or gambling.

However, today, in a joint statement, both Chittick and Starship have disclosed another reason the generous offer was turned down.

“Mark Chittick’s offer to be involved with, and become the potential beneficiary of the charity component of the Golden Eagle Race, came in at 3pm and required us to make a rapid decision by close of business the same day,” the statement read.

“As with any charity, due diligence is an essential part of our responsibility to accept donations. In this instance, considerations around the size and off-shore nature of the donation regrettably could not be resolved within this timeframe.”

The Starship Foundation retracted its original statement and said it “welcomes donations from gaming societies and the horse racing industry, and has long been the grateful beneficiary of donations of this nature”.

The statement also said Mark Chittick was approached by Starship this afternoon, and he is disappointed at the outcome but acknowledges there were time pressures involved.

“He would have loved to be involved in the Golden Eagle with the Starship Foundation as the beneficiary and he remains a huge supporter of the incredible work the Hospital does for children and families in need,” the statement read.

“Both the Starship Foundation and Waikato Stud have a huge amount of respect for each other’s work and industries and intend to work together to build a partnership in the future.”