Survived's (pictured above) win in the group one Makfi Hawke's Bay Challenge Stakes was a great thrill for his owner NZTBA Hawkes Bay branch committeeman Don Gordon.
The octogenarian has a soft spot for the Hastings track as he served on the Hawke's Bay Racing Club committee for a number of years and was instrumental in having the Ormond Memorial moved from autumn to spring.
"The idea was to give trainers an opportunity to get their horses ready and see if they were good enough to compete in Australia at their spring carnival, and it has certainly achieved that aim over the years," Gordon said.
"Although we don't usually have such a wet track. It was absolutely terrific the way Survived performed in the Challenge Stakes. I was a bit cautious about whether he would like the wet track.
"The way he has performed in the last six months has been amazing with the only hiccup being the bad ride in the Queensland Derby. He has done so well since he came home from Queensland. I saw him the Tuesday before the big race and he looked so well, his coat was so shiny - I haven't ever seen a coat look so good on a horse in the middle of winter. He is a tribute to John Bary.
"It's absolutely great to win on the home track. When he won the Hawke's Bay Cup in autumn he looped around the field from nearly last. He has a terrific stride on him. We have had our Aussie trip for the year and we may go back in February and look at a race like the Australian Cup at Flemington. He is not developed enough yet for a race like the Melbourne Cup. You can't push young horses - you will ruin them.
"I've had big offers for him especially from Australia, and despite what has been published in some publications, I don't race Survived with Brian Hutchison and Little Avondale Trust. I have a couple of others with Brian and a few with Sam, but not this fellow. He was so weak when he was a foal and so small I couldn't have asked anyone else to race him with me. I enjoy racing my horses and have done for the last 60 years. In 1954 I bought my first horse and that's when I joined the Breeders' Association," he added.
At the Hawke's Bay Racing Awards held by the local branch of the NZTBA on the eve of the first day of the Hawke's Bay Spring Carnival Don Gordon received the Horlicks Salver for his contribution to racing in the Hastings region. A contribution which has seen him serve on numerous committees associated with racing and breeding and also breed a number of great horses long before his latest star Survived who will now go on to contest the next two legs of the Hawke's Bay triple crown, the Windsor Park Plate (Horlicks Plate) and the Spring Classic (Ormond Memorial).
Survived is the second and last foal from the Generous mare Liberal who won one race. Liberal herself was out of Political (by Dedicated Rullah [USA]) herself a winner of four races and dam of four other winners beside Liberal. She was the first foal of Secrecy, a Diplomatic Agent (USA) mare who won seven races for Gordon and was placed in the listed Edward Lumley Stakes at Riccarton.
"This is a family I have had since the early 70's when I purchased Phareno (Pharamond[FR]- Centeno), and sent her to Great Wall and produced Mun Lee, and she also produced two other fillies Secrecy and War Cry (War Hawk II) that I have continued to breed from.
"Over the years since Mun Lee I have had some wonderful horses from this family and I still have a number of mares breeding on now."
Mun Lee was the Champion three-year-old filly of the 1977-78 season. She won 14 races including the Group One Waikato Sprint and the Great Northern Oaks.
Survived may be the best descendant of Secrecy, but War Cry certainly proved her worth at stud.
From 11 foals she produced seven winners, four of them at stakes level. Don raced Dancing Daze (Dance Floor [USA]) who won six races including a Group Two ARC Championship Stakes and was placed second in the Group Two Sir Tristram Fillies Classic. Along with Waikato breeding stalwart Jeanette Broome, he bred and raced Full Noise (Kaapstad ) and she won was Group One-placed and won seven races including the Listed STC Stayers Cup. She has gone on to produce winners.
General Booth (Entrepreneur [GB]) was a winner of four including the listed MVRC JRA Cup and Clay Shot (Clay Hero [AUS]) won five and was stakes placed. An unraced daughter, Cold War (Half Iced [USA]), has left two stakes performers in Sands of Time (Sandtrap [USA]) and Coolross (Rossini[USA]).
Tiffany Rose another daughter of Pharamond by Sovereign Edition (IRE) now owned by Gordon, also produced three stakes winners - Marmalitre, Coutet and Spacecraft and was the grandam of Felenic and Allez Suez.
- Michelle Saba
The octogenarian has a soft spot for the Hastings track as he served on the Hawke's Bay Racing Club committee for a number of years and was instrumental in having the Ormond Memorial moved from autumn to spring.
"The idea was to give trainers an opportunity to get their horses ready and see if they were good enough to compete in Australia at their spring carnival, and it has certainly achieved that aim over the years," Gordon said.
"Although we don't usually have such a wet track. It was absolutely terrific the way Survived performed in the Challenge Stakes. I was a bit cautious about whether he would like the wet track.
"The way he has performed in the last six months has been amazing with the only hiccup being the bad ride in the Queensland Derby. He has done so well since he came home from Queensland. I saw him the Tuesday before the big race and he looked so well, his coat was so shiny - I haven't ever seen a coat look so good on a horse in the middle of winter. He is a tribute to John Bary.
"It's absolutely great to win on the home track. When he won the Hawke's Bay Cup in autumn he looped around the field from nearly last. He has a terrific stride on him. We have had our Aussie trip for the year and we may go back in February and look at a race like the Australian Cup at Flemington. He is not developed enough yet for a race like the Melbourne Cup. You can't push young horses - you will ruin them.
"I've had big offers for him especially from Australia, and despite what has been published in some publications, I don't race Survived with Brian Hutchison and Little Avondale Trust. I have a couple of others with Brian and a few with Sam, but not this fellow. He was so weak when he was a foal and so small I couldn't have asked anyone else to race him with me. I enjoy racing my horses and have done for the last 60 years. In 1954 I bought my first horse and that's when I joined the Breeders' Association," he added.
At the Hawke's Bay Racing Awards held by the local branch of the NZTBA on the eve of the first day of the Hawke's Bay Spring Carnival Don Gordon received the Horlicks Salver for his contribution to racing in the Hastings region. A contribution which has seen him serve on numerous committees associated with racing and breeding and also breed a number of great horses long before his latest star Survived who will now go on to contest the next two legs of the Hawke's Bay triple crown, the Windsor Park Plate (Horlicks Plate) and the Spring Classic (Ormond Memorial).
Survived is the second and last foal from the Generous mare Liberal who won one race. Liberal herself was out of Political (by Dedicated Rullah [USA]) herself a winner of four races and dam of four other winners beside Liberal. She was the first foal of Secrecy, a Diplomatic Agent (USA) mare who won seven races for Gordon and was placed in the listed Edward Lumley Stakes at Riccarton.
"This is a family I have had since the early 70's when I purchased Phareno (Pharamond[FR]- Centeno), and sent her to Great Wall and produced Mun Lee, and she also produced two other fillies Secrecy and War Cry (War Hawk II) that I have continued to breed from.
"Over the years since Mun Lee I have had some wonderful horses from this family and I still have a number of mares breeding on now."
Mun Lee was the Champion three-year-old filly of the 1977-78 season. She won 14 races including the Group One Waikato Sprint and the Great Northern Oaks.
Survived may be the best descendant of Secrecy, but War Cry certainly proved her worth at stud.
From 11 foals she produced seven winners, four of them at stakes level. Don raced Dancing Daze (Dance Floor [USA]) who won six races including a Group Two ARC Championship Stakes and was placed second in the Group Two Sir Tristram Fillies Classic. Along with Waikato breeding stalwart Jeanette Broome, he bred and raced Full Noise (Kaapstad ) and she won was Group One-placed and won seven races including the Listed STC Stayers Cup. She has gone on to produce winners.
General Booth (Entrepreneur [GB]) was a winner of four including the listed MVRC JRA Cup and Clay Shot (Clay Hero [AUS]) won five and was stakes placed. An unraced daughter, Cold War (Half Iced [USA]), has left two stakes performers in Sands of Time (Sandtrap [USA]) and Coolross (Rossini[USA]).
Tiffany Rose another daughter of Pharamond by Sovereign Edition (IRE) now owned by Gordon, also produced three stakes winners - Marmalitre, Coutet and Spacecraft and was the grandam of Felenic and Allez Suez.
- Michelle Saba
