By Sue Finley
Walter “Buster” Gordon, the longtime head stallion groom at the `old' Spendthrift Farm formerly owned by the Combs family, passed away Oct. 25 after a long illness. A Gofundme page has been established for his family, and is accessible by clicking here.
“Buster never met a stranger and all of us loved him during his many years as head stallion groom at Spendthrift Farm,” reads his Gofundme page, set up by Gregory Clarke. “In addition to being a brilliant horseman, he could throw a mean snowball. 🙂 He's a permanent part of our memories of Spendthrift.
“Unfortunately, his illness took a heavy financial toll on him and his family. One of the many ways you can honor his memory is to help his dear wife, Virginia, with Buster's funeral expenses. All funds will be turned over to Virginia. Please keep the entire Gordon family in your prayers.”
The funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. and the funeral will begin at 12 noon at Hawkins-Taylor Funeral Home, 425 Race Street, Lexington, KY 40508.
Gordon worked under legions of Spendthrift heads, including Wesley Combs, Brownell Combs, and John Williams.
Williams submitted the following tribute to Gordon.
Great guy, and one of the `characters' from that bygone era
“When I became farm manager, Buster was one of only four of the original stallion grooms that stayed on in that capacity. Many quit, or had to be let go. We filled the vacancies (thanks to Dr. Michael Osborne's enormous help) with guys from Ireland, France, England and Wales. I can only imagine how shocking this all was to those four great Black guys upon the arrival of this European invasion! All stud grooms had four stallions to care for. As I recall, Buster had Pretense, Sham, Cornish Prince and Bold Hour. Without a doubt, Sham was Buster's favorite. Whenever Sham had a mare booked for that session, upon entering the breeding shed Buster would shout out “WHO'S YOUR GROOM, SHAM?!” He was so proud of the gleaming coat Sham always had due entirely to the immaculate grooming Buster gave him to showcase his work with his favorite horse.
One day Penny Tweedy was scheduled to visit the stallion barn. I told Buster about the visit from the owner of Sham's nemesis, and asked him to have Sham in top show shape. When Penny arrived, I asked if she would mind having her picture taken with Buster and Sham. She happily agreed, and Buster led Sham out to the center of the Nashua Motel. I asked Penny to stand at Sham's shoulder as Buster proudly held the horse. I told Penny that I had promised Sham and Buster that I would make sure Sham finally had a head and neck in front of HER! Buster burst out with his signature belly laugh, and we all joined in on the fun.
There are many good memories of those exciting days in the late 70's and early 80's at Spendthrift. Buster Gordon certainly contributed to them.”
Padraig Campion submitted the following tribute:
–John Williams
A Tribute to Walter “Buster” Gordon
“I first met Buster Gordon at the Spendthrift stallion barn in 1979. I was straight off the boat and was described by John Williams as `all hair and zits.' My first job at Spendthrift was as swing groom at the stallion barn, basically to cover the strings of whoever was off that day.
My favorite string to do was Buster's. All his horses were well-behaved, and easy to groom and handle. Buster taught me and all the guys that worked in the stallion barn in the seventies, eighties, and the nineties the tricks of the trade. These alumni are successful horsemen not only in the U.S., but in Ireland, England, France, Australia, and New Zealand. He showed me how to put a chain in Raise A Native's shark-like mouth (quickly). He showed me how to put a stallion ring on Slew (gently). Many times I used Buster's methods to clean up a dirty horse for a last-minute breeding session or show. Buster was always called into service when the legendary photographer Tony Leonard came to shoot his flawless conformation shots. Buster could get the toughest horse to stand up in a perfect pose.
Another lesson Buster gave me was how to stop Exclusive Native from bolting when turning him out. He was always on the lookout for the Irish lads on the morning after St Patrick's Day, knowing that we were all a bit seedy.
Don't get me wrong: it wasn't all work advice. He knew where the best pork chops were available for lunch (the IGA supermarket on North Broadway). The best beer was a cold Stroh's by a long shot and he even had me smoking Kool cigarettes (I stopped smoking the next year).
Buster was devoted to his beloved Sham. One morning, Sham was breeding a grey mare named Alert Princess. During the deed, Alert Princess decided to reverse and continued this maneuver from the front of the shed to the back of the shed. Sham, being a gentleman, stayed to his task and backed his hind end into the tiny bucket room, where Buster was standing. There was barely enough space for one in there, so it was very overcrowded with three. Sham and the mare completed their mission, and all concern was for Buster. However, he was not to be seen. Buster appeared at the breeding shed door unscathed having jumped through the small half-open window. He was not a small man and the mystery of how he got through that narrow opening remains.
In the early eighties, John and blacksmith Beach Faulkner designed a steel cooker equipped with propane tanks. Buster started cooking his mash (a secret recipe) each morning, stirring throughout the day and by feed time the stallions were squealing, whinnying and hollering for their mash.
The Spendthrift stallions shone in all seasons and never wore blankets.
In heaven's version of the Nashua Motel, Mickey, G Man, Caro, Raise A Native, sons Majestic Prince, and Exclusive Native, grandson Affirmed, Sham, Cornish Prince, The White Pony, Lord Avie, Tobin and Slew are excited about feed time. Because the food just got better in heaven.”
–Padraig Campion
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