WHEN Bernie and Cath Hewitt decided to move their young family from Crookwell to Bathurst 18 years ago, it was a tough choice. They left behind family and good friends so Bernie could further his training career.
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But now, with their children involved in the industry and operating one of the region's leading stables at Georges Plains, it is a decision the Hewitts are happy they made.
"Ever since we've got together we've been working with the horses, back at Crookwell and after moving out here in 2001. It's always been a team effort," trainer-driver Bernie said.
"The kids all came along before we left Crookwell and had been helping out and it's been the same thing here.
"Gem is a trainer in her own right and Jason and Dougie are both heavily involved, they help with the training as well as the driving.
"It probably goes a bit unnoticed, but it was a big move to move away from my family and where I was born and grew up on the farm. Our kids had obviously all been born down at Crookwell, to pick up the whole family and relocate was a big move.
"I suppose I decided that Bathurst, being such a strong harness centre, that it was the place, I didn't want to take the family to Sydney.
"I know it's not that far, but still you lose a lot of touch with all your relos and friends and so forth, but it's been worthwhile. The kids all settled here well and found heaps of new mates and we were the same.
"We've been able to buy this farm and set it up here at Georges Plains, and we've had a lot of success along the way. Hopefully that continues."
Clearly the Bathurst Harness Racing Club officials are happy the Hewitts decided to make the move as well.
They named Bernie and Cath as this year's Bathurst Gold Crown Carnival honourees.
"Cath and I were quite surprised and shocked about it as you're not really thinking about anything like that. So it was quite a surprise when they told us," Bernie said.
Ever since we've got together we've been working with the horses, back at Crookwell and after moving out here in 2001. It's always been a team effort.
- Bernie Hewitt
As the honourees, Bernie and Cath join a list of respected names which includes Peter and Marie Neil.
It was an opportunity to train the Shannon horses bred by the Neils which initially lured the Hewitts to Bathurst.
In 2004 Hewitt came withing a short-half-head of winning the Group 1 Gold Crown Final for two-year-old colts and geldings when Christophershannon dead-heated for second.
He had plenty of other handy Shannon horses in his team over the years as well before making the decision to branch out. Again it was a big move to make, but again it worked out well.
"We parted company [with the Neils] after a few years and we went out solo and I trained as an open trainer then for other clients. We seemed to get a lot of clients and it's still continuing today," Hewitt said.
"We've had a steady stream of nice horses right along."
Hewitt won the carnival's three-year-old fillies feature - the Gold Bracelet - in 2015 with Read About Lexy and then last year, finally laid his hands on a Gold Crown trophy when College Chapel saluted.
Starting the Group 1 decider as $1.90 favourite, College Chapel won the early speed battle to take the lead and once in front did not surrender.
He won in a two-year-old track record for the distance, clocking a 1:54.5 mile rate over the 1,730 metres trip.
"It's one of those races, we'd gone so close so many times. You really wonder if you're going to be able to knock it off, so it was such a thrill to get that win," Hewitt said.
"Now it's 12 months on we are looking for another one, another colts or gelding or even a filly - we'd love to win the tiara. At the moment we are still sorting our two-year-olds out, we are going to have a few that are going to be competitive."
On Friday night when the the 33rd edition of the Gold Crown Carnival commences, Hewitt will be represented in each of the four heats of the Gold Tiara for two-year-old fillies.
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Whether or not Angel Shark Voodoo Lou, Heidi Boom, Lady Eupheme, York Minster or No Nay Never qualify for the Group 1 final, Hewitt will be keeping a close eye on how they develop as part of his overall training philosophy.
"You've got to decide on horses as they come along, whether they've got a future or not. If you retain too many it stops the new ones from coming in, so you've got to be open to moving them on and taking on new ones or going out and actually purchasing," the trainer said.
"You've got to have numbers coming through and you've got to be able to pick and choose. The idea is that you've got to be able to let them go, even if you know there's wins in them, you've got to decide if they are going to take you up the road far enough or if you have to wait too long between those wins.
"So predominantly I train young horses, I mostly concentrate on yearlings and two-year-olds and three-year-olds.
"There's always plenty of young ones coming through the system and a lot of owners like to send the young ones to us."
The Hewitts will not only be at the Bathurst Gold Crown Paceway throughout the carnival, but next Thursday night they will be in the spotlight at the honouree dinner.
