Craig Newitt has decided to head home to continue his riding career from a base in Tasmania.
A champion apprentice in his home state, Newitt arrived in Melbourne to ride for Lee Freedman in 2002 before booting home 35 Group I winners, many in partnership with the Mick Price camp.
Newitt's wife Karli gave birth to the couple's fourth child last week and the jockey told Tasracing the Tasmanian lifestyle was the main reason for heading back across Bass Strait.
Newitt said he would base himself in the north of Tasmania and could make the short flight to Melbourne to ride when required while he would begin riding in Tasmania at the end of September.
"We've been thinking about it for a while, we've got four kids now, it's a lifestyle choice," Newitt said. "It's only a 40-minute flight, so if I need to I can still fly back to Melbourne to ride mid-week or Saturday.
"We could have made the move three years ago but I always had a good Group horse to keep me here.
"I've had a good run, been really fortunate."
Newitt rode Miss Andretti to victory at Royal Ascot in 2007 in a run of wins that also featured victories in the Lighting Stakes, Australia Stakes and Newmarket Handicap of that year while the jockey also partnered Lankan Rupee in four of his five Group I wins.
Newitt also won the Blue Diamond and Moir Stakes aboard Extreme Choice but he had a soft spot for Pompeii Ruler, on which he won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in Sydney in 2009 as well as the 2007 Australian Cup.
"Pompeii Ruler was probably the best horse I have ridden, but there were some great sprinters like Miss Andretti, Lankan Rupee, Samaready and Extreme Choice who could have been the best but he was retired at three," Newitt said.
