Just read this on Bloodhorse.com, I remember Groovy's 1987 races when I was 10 years old. Seems like yesterday, I feel old....
Groovy, the 1987 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter who set a six-furlong track record at Belmont Park, was euthanized Jan. 26 at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., due to physical infirmities at the age of 23.
RIP Groovy
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RIP Groovy
My name is Awesome and I can count to potato.
hi CynVamp
Groovy was grand looking and a VERY special racehorse...he could absolutely flyyyyyyyyy...WOW. Glance at his race record...WOW again.
He had little success as a sire...but he is the broodmare sire of the second dam of 2005 Ky Derby second-place finisher and new stallion for 2006 Closing Argument.
As a result, Groovy's name will be carried on for many years in the pedigrees of Closing Argument's offspring.
Respectfully
Groovy was grand looking and a VERY special racehorse...he could absolutely flyyyyyyyyy...WOW. Glance at his race record...WOW again.
He had little success as a sire...but he is the broodmare sire of the second dam of 2005 Ky Derby second-place finisher and new stallion for 2006 Closing Argument.
As a result, Groovy's name will be carried on for many years in the pedigrees of Closing Argument's offspring.
Respectfully
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StrawberryFelidos
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"He was having continuing neurological problems that were making it difficult for him to perform the functions that he needed to in order to live a quality life," said Doug Cauthen, WinStar president.
That explanation says so much and, at the same time, very little. What did they mean by neurological problems? It sounds like he'd had it for the past four years. I wonder if horses get Alzheimers like humans and dogs do (yes, dogs can get something nearly identical) and, if so, I can sympathize with Groovy's handlers- an animal with degenerative brain issues can become a major hazard for their handlers and, eventually, to themselves. The poor horse, at least things are better for him now
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StrawberryFelidos
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I visited Groovy a week before this past Christmas and he seemed fine. He looked a litte tender on his feet, but he didnt seem unable to do anything that normal horses do any given day. He looked good to, in excellent shape. He was donating his halter to me for my daughter for a Christmas gift, but only on the condition I replace it with one like the other fellows had. He hadn't had a new halter in a long time and he had to look across the aisle at Tiznow sporting the Winstar logo on his. 
I'm sure if horses preen, he was preening alittle at Tiznow in the days that followed. I'll miss not seeing him every year. We had the pleasure of seeing him for the first time in 01 and we were looking at him in his stall and the groom opened up the door, turned around and left leaving the door wide open and my 11 year old daughter standing there with her mouth agape becasue he just stood there with his head hanging out the door and not bothering to leave. We always made frequent visits to see him every year when in Ky, and her favorite horse in all of KY was Groovy and his favorite part of the visit was getting his gums massage. I don't think many visitors to Winstar ever left withouth massaging Groovy's gums. 
He will be missed dearly.
I'm sure if horses preen, he was preening alittle at Tiznow in the days that followed. I'll miss not seeing him every year. We had the pleasure of seeing him for the first time in 01 and we were looking at him in his stall and the groom opened up the door, turned around and left leaving the door wide open and my 11 year old daughter standing there with her mouth agape becasue he just stood there with his head hanging out the door and not bothering to leave. We always made frequent visits to see him every year when in Ky, and her favorite horse in all of KY was Groovy and his favorite part of the visit was getting his gums massage. I don't think many visitors to Winstar ever left withouth massaging Groovy's gums. He will be missed dearly.RIP
RIP GROOVY
I have his daughter Woodgroove and several grandchildren.
Woodgroove has a promising 2yr old filly sired by Liberty Gold,
and a fantastic yearling colt sired by Snowbound. She will to to Harbor
The Gold this year.
I have his daughter Woodgroove and several grandchildren.
Woodgroove has a promising 2yr old filly sired by Liberty Gold,
and a fantastic yearling colt sired by Snowbound. She will to to Harbor
The Gold this year.
Cathy D wrote:I don't know about neurological problems, but he had a lot of trouble with his feet due to laminitis. Sure was a looker, and seemed very kind, especially for a stud.
That's what I was under the impression was wrong with him when we visited him once, in the last year. He wasnt brought out because he was tender on his feet then. When I was there on Dec 17th he was gimpy still, but not bad. If you didn't know he'd had prior problems with his feet you wouldnt have noticed, but I did notice a few off steps but nothing severe.
A fitting eulogy for a Texas-bred that is still top ranked at the time of his death, age 23 - (From the Texas Thoroughbred Association site)
All-time leading Texas-bred earner Groovy dead at 23 1/27/2006
Groovy, the most accomplished Texas-bred runner of the past half-century, was euthanized January 26 at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. The 23-year-old had been suffering from the infirmities of old age.
Bred by Marshall T. Robinson and campaigned by several owners during his career, Groovy won 12 of 26 starts and banked $1,346,956 to become the only Texas-bred millionaire. The son of Norcliffe out of the Restless Wind mare Tinnitus won the Vosburgh Stakes (G1) and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) en route to winning the 1987 Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter. All 12 of his wins came in stakes company with seven graded wins. The crack sprinter set track records going six furlongs at Belmont Park and Finger Lakes, and he set the pace in the 1986 Kentucky Derby (G1) before fading to last.
As a stallion, Groovy sired the earners of more than $12 million including Grade 1 winner Brutally Frank. He was pensioned in 2001.
"He was a really neat horse," WinStar President Doug Cauthen told Thoroughbred Times. "He was a real showboat to the people. The stud grooms and stud managers loved him. He had plenty of tricks and was a very fun horse to be around. And when you go back to look at his races, it's just amazing to see how fast he was."
A complete recap of the life and career of Groovy will appear in the March/April issue of The Texas Thoroughbred.
All-time leading Texas-bred earner Groovy dead at 23 1/27/2006
Groovy, the most accomplished Texas-bred runner of the past half-century, was euthanized January 26 at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. The 23-year-old had been suffering from the infirmities of old age.
Bred by Marshall T. Robinson and campaigned by several owners during his career, Groovy won 12 of 26 starts and banked $1,346,956 to become the only Texas-bred millionaire. The son of Norcliffe out of the Restless Wind mare Tinnitus won the Vosburgh Stakes (G1) and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) en route to winning the 1987 Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter. All 12 of his wins came in stakes company with seven graded wins. The crack sprinter set track records going six furlongs at Belmont Park and Finger Lakes, and he set the pace in the 1986 Kentucky Derby (G1) before fading to last.
As a stallion, Groovy sired the earners of more than $12 million including Grade 1 winner Brutally Frank. He was pensioned in 2001.
"He was a really neat horse," WinStar President Doug Cauthen told Thoroughbred Times. "He was a real showboat to the people. The stud grooms and stud managers loved him. He had plenty of tricks and was a very fun horse to be around. And when you go back to look at his races, it's just amazing to see how fast he was."
A complete recap of the life and career of Groovy will appear in the March/April issue of The Texas Thoroughbred.