Hall Of Fame - Gaze Unwavering

Original article written by Danny Warren posted 13 years 3 weeks ago

Off in the distance a young tyro of a thoroughbred is threatening to run off in his own direction. The colt is steadied and sooled back on line by his training partner, a lovely, strong chestnut with a cream blaze who still looks as if he could tear up the straight like he did in his prime. The big chestnut snorts with disapproval as the youngster turns his head again, but before long the colt realises that his older counterpart is in charge and straightens up. The pair pick up the pace and the colt runs arrow like down the straight before pulling up and trotting back to the infield, with the old chestnut giving him a playful nip as if to say “well done son, you’ll make it one day”.

Gerry Hardie observes the whole show from the watchers tower at Pipers Heath, a sprawling racing centre to the west of the rather depressingly named Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. The colt is yet to be named, but as impressive as his gallop was, Gerry gives a pleasantly surprised shake of his head at amazement at his old favourite who loves nothing more at the age of 23 than to still be amongst the atmosphere of the training track. His name is Gaze Unwavering and twenty years ago, he was one of the greatest stars the SIMWorld has ever had.

New rivalries come with each racing year and the battles between the combatants are always looked forward to and then regaled again and again, and as fantastic as they are and always will be, it’s very hard to imagine anything like another crop of foals who could match up with the group born in Year 7 of the SIM.
20 of these foals would eventually win over $2 million, five of them earning over $7 million. Gaze Unwavering was one of these magical five.

Gerry paid $25,000 for the son of Fusaichi Pegasus and Yanks Music as he was a big fan of “real life” Fusaichi Pegasus and desperately wanted to have the feeling of owning one of his progeny. The Steward bred colt looked like a winner from the moment he tread gently into the sales ring, with a proud intelligent head, gentle eye and powerful, if still immature, physique.

Fusaichi Pegasus had already had three racing crops go through, having great success with the likes of Bishoujo Senshi, Ichi Forever and Gaze Unwavering’s full sister, Faith Unwavering amongst eight millionaires before Gaze Unwavering began his career. Fusaichi Pegasus would end up with ten millionaires and with some runners still around, over $45 million in produce earnings, with his two finest sons soon to be rivals, Loki Masterpiece and of course Gaze Unwavering.

Yanks Music never raced herself, but her ten foals would win nearly $13 million in prizemoney. She had three millionaires, with Faith Unwavering and Tycho Monolith joining Gaze Unwavering, but a long way behind the mighty chestnut.

Gaze Unwavering always gave the indications early in his yearling preparations that he would want to race over a bit of distance, but you have to start somewhere, and Gerry took Gaze Unwavering to Arizona for his debut over the unsuitable 4 ½ furlongs in the One In A Million Stakes in Week 3 of Year 9. He broke well enough but went towards the back of the five horse field, as would become his trademark, and worked home solidly enough to finish fourth, just being outsprinted by his nippier opposition.

Understanding full well that Gaze Unwavering would have to wait until the races got longer to show his very best, Gerry shifted him to Kentucky for a run in Maiden company over 6f, where he stunned the crowd with a breathtaking display to run down future millionaire sprinter Ghostly Image just before the line to pick up what would prove to be the first win in a magnificent career.

Buoyed by Gaze Unwavering’s win, Gerry decided that the Graduation Year Stakes over the mile at Florida should further suit his youngster’s style. Thanks in part to an early speed blitz up front, Gaze Unwavering flew home to late to just pip Dream Brightly on the line.

Having proved that he could handle the mile, the choice was made to stay in Florida for the Flight of the Hero Stakes against four rivals. Popular tried hard to finish a respectful distance behind, but the other three runners would only see a pale, golden tail and a cloud of dust off in the distance as Gaze Unwavering burst away for a very convincing win.

It was time to see just where he stood amongst the best of his peers. Gaze had already had a taxing beginning to his career with four runs in just a couple of months, but the chance to run in the Gr.1 Stewards Cup Juvenile, worth a million dollars over the suitable 1 1/16 miles was a carrot too good to pass up. This was a hot field with the likes of Chesapeake Bay, Loki Masterpiece, Charm’s Tribute, Marked Improvement, Brave the Storm and Here Comes Revenge amongst the thirteen runners and try as he might, Gaze Unwavering, tired after a busy campaign, could only run on into fifth behind Loki Masterpiece. Still a credible effort, but he was clearly looking for a rest.

Gaze Unwavering thrived during the break and muscled up into an imposing figure as he stepped out for his first race as a three year old in the Gr.3 Hutcheson Stakes over 7f in Florida. Here he resumed acquaintances with Here Comes Revenge, but unlike the Stewards Cup, Gaze Unwavering was full of energy and sailed past for a resounding win.

Gerry had a tough decision to make. Gaze Unwavering was bred for distance, yet his best form so far had been between 6f and a mile. Eventually he came to the conclusion that seeing as they were already in Florida and he seemed to like running there, he may as well run in the Gr.1 Florida Derby over 1 1/8 miles for the $500,000 purse. One way or the other, this race would tell a tale.
With only three opponents, there was also the extra worry that it would be a slowly run race which wouldn’t allow Gaze Unwavering to unleash the full power of his final sprint. What followed was one of the great moments in SIM Racing.
With old rivals Dream Brightly and Here Comes Revenge running along, Gaze Unwavering peeled out at the top of the straight and took off a blistering speed to not only catch his rivals, but to fly right past, on and on to win by 7 ½ lengths and shatter the SIMWorld Record for the trip in running 1.45.30.
Twenty years on, this record time has never, ever been bettered.

Off to Kentucky went Gerry and Gaze Unwavering to contest the time honoured Gr.1 Louisville Derby and a return bout with Loki Masterpiece. Also in the race was Attracting, who would go on to be defeated just twice in 17 starts. The eleven horses thundered around the track, with Robin Tan’s Loki Masterpiece holding off the fast closing Gaze Unwavering by ¾ of a length, with Attracting a length and a quarter away in what would prove to be his worst ever result.

Not wanting to exhaust the horse, Gerry wisely chose not to run in the Gr.1 Baltimore Crown and instead waited until the Gr.1 Long Island Classic. Loki Masterpiece was trying for the triple crown and was a strong favourite to do so. In what was one of the most satisfying moments in the training career of Gerry Hardie, Gaze Unwavering ran the race of his life to win the race in a photo finish from Loki Masterpiece, denying that horse the rare glory of being a triple crown winner and handing him his first defeat.

This really was a golden age in the SIM.
If you could ever imagine putting Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Mike Tyson and Joe Louis in the same boxing ring at the same time and just watching these all time greats slugging it out to try and prove who really was the best of all time, that’s exactly what it was like with the likes of Gaze Unwavering, Loki Masterpiece, Walkover and Conduit. All freakishly good horses, often racing against each other, providing epic after epic to savour.

Next race saw another date with destiny as Gaze Unwavering met Ara Davies’ unbeaten wonder horse, Conduit, who had avoided the triple crown completely. The Queen’s Derby in Toronto had a $3,000,000 purse, but Conduit showed just how dominant he could be, with a phenomenal performance to win by 11 ½ lengths. Gaze Unwavering easily accounted for the rest of the field in a fine effort.

The Gr.1 Super Derby at Lafayette Downs restored the confidence as Gaze Unwavering wore down his plucky opposition for a solid win and provided a springboard for another tilt at the Stewards Cup.

Even without Conduit, the Year 10 running of the Gr.1 Steward’s Cup Classic was an amazing race. Gaze Unwavering lined up against Loki Masterpiece again, but also in the field were millionaires Smoke and Flame, Fighting With Wit, and the incredible duo of No Tears Here and Walkover, both of whom would retire with over $7 million in prize money earned. Walkover won the day, but only just from No Tears Here, with Loki Masterpiece just holding out Gaze Unwavering for third.

Again needing a break after a heavy schedule, Gaze Unwavering returned to begin his four year old season in the Gr.3 San Antonio Handicap. After getting a long way back, even for him, the fresh Gaze Unwavering scorched home to win drawing away by five lengths, with big spaces separating the rest of the runners from each other in a stunning return to form.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is an allure that is very hard to ignore, and so for the only time in his career, Gaze Unwavering left North America for the deserts of Dubai to compete in the $6,000,000 Gr.1 Desert World Cup over 1 ¼ miles. Not surprisingly, the prize money enticed Jon Xett’s Walkover and Robin Tan’s Loki Masterpiece in a field of six. At the home turn, Walkover and Loki Masterpiece burst away from the others to battle up the straight, heads bobbing in unison. Gaze Unwavering angled into some clear running room and set out after them down the long straight. Walkover and Loki Masterpiece had a strong lead, but then the big chestnut found an extra gear and with the massive crowd going out of minds, Gaze Unwavering caught them just in time and was running quickly enough to have a length clearance on the line as Walkover and Loki Masterpiece dead heated. The others were far, far behind, but Gerry Hardie’s great horse just had his biggest payday after a brilliant performance to defeat two champions and the crowd gave him a resounding ovation as he returned to the winners enclosure.
Days like this never seem to happen often enough. Three true champions at the peak of their powers and all putting on a show that everyone who saw it will never forget.

Gaze Unwavering was met at the airport back home with a heroes welcome, but there was still work to be done. Two very easy wins in Gr.1 company in the Whitney Handicap and Woodward Handicap, both in New York led him for one final race, one final chance at a Steward’s Cup.

The Gr.1 Stewards Cup Classic of Year 11 was without a shadow of doubt, one of the greatest fields ever. With the still unbeaten Conduit finally running in a Stewards Cup, Loki Masterpiece, Walkover and multi millionaire to be El Rival Decade all in the race, only the horse with the right form, fitness and luck with no problems would win the day and Conduit proved to be that horse. Gaze Unwavering ran home hard, but could only finish fifth.

Gerry Hardie decided that he had done enough and deserved to retire to the breeding barn after a career of 17 starts for eleven wins and two seconds and prize money of $7,525,000. He never failed to bring home prize money and three of his four off the board runs were at Stewards Cup level, with the other being the debut fourth.

Gaze Unwavering proved to be just as impressive as a stallion as he was on the track, providing his progeny with the same tenacity that he himself was blessed with.
He had 99 foals, 96 of who raced with an amazing 80 of those becoming winners, a staggering percentage of 83.3% with an average earnings per runner of $143,593, a truly remarkable figure.
He produced two millionaires in Righteous and Derby Report and his foals won on each surface as well as steeplechasing.
Gaze Unwavering has also proven to be a successful broodmare sire, with his mares producing 207 winners so far. 23 of these have been stakes winners, including millionaire and now sire, Boise State Boy by Loki Dynasty who won four Gr.1 races.

This champion horse ranks right up there alongside Midnightconfession as Gerry Hardie’s greatest horses so far and he was one of the very best horses, in the very best of company in a golden age of SIM Racing.

But now, with his work done for the day, Gaze Unwavering wanders about in his special paddock at Pipers Heath, receiving pats from well wishers and fans and awaits the next morning so he can get back out to the track and try to guide another youngster on the road to fame and glory, where he once stood as a hero.

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