Groovin'Wind

They all have a story. Here's Wind's.

Sire:
Enlarge it and you'll see Groovin' Time. I like the name. As so many, they hurt him early. GT was by champion sprinter Groovy out of a Robert Sangster owned mare named Spankeys Seconds who won a hundred grand by noted sprinter Wig Out. GT was a stakes winner in :21s and :44s. Back '94 and 95 I was into breeding to speed via Smile and Groovy. Groovin' Time when I bred to him at the Vet School, University Illinois, Urbana was a big strong racy looking horse.

Here's the dam, Windy Lea at age 4 with Paul Feliciano's (think Secretariat) girlfriend.
Windy Lea is by English champion two year old Wind and Wuthering (by champion No Robbery by Swaps) out of Lulu Lea by French Champion Herbager. The other male grandparents were Johns Joy and Bull Lea. Bimlette and Bimelech appear close up in the pedigree. The mare is inbred to the Bulldog line combining Herbager with Swaps. Lots of champions instead of mere stakes horses in Windy Lea pedigree. What did this produce? She was loaded with talent with a classic stride but also a bit of a mess--slight breathing problem, refuser on the track, and terrible run down problems in her races. She was injured by a mistaken workout instruction over the phone, and then given to a lady in Lexington who bred her to some nice horses, quite justifiably if you look at the build and pedigree, but, maybe due to the breathing problem nothing of note was produced.

And, here is the Missouri bred-homebred- 15' 3.5" mud splattered, 12 yr. old Wind this morning pre-gallop giving you that $2500 claimer look. Left click though and you'll note a bit of scopiness from the parents.
(We've got the heaviest rider but the lightest equipment: 3 lbs. saddle showing a few whiskers, light back saver foam pad, 1 oz. imported plastic stirrups, nylon headstall and reins, and light, thin snaffle bit, with light whip and helmet it all weighs with the safety vest,10.5 lbs. altogether.)

My memorable moment for Wind perhaps in January age three when Kevin, exercise rider at KY Horse Center got off one day and said "this horse has a little talent". From Kevin that was high praise. Wind was Derby bound but running off with Kevin every single day. I should have gone with Burch training had I been aware of it, and we'd have avoided the slow gallop days. It was too much and Wind developed a "saucer fracture spot" on his shin and was off four months.

Wind was at his height in 2000. Finally got him in a race first week of December of age 5 (phew!), as I recall, an allowance at Blue Ribbon where most of the race Wind raced on even terms with horse of the meet The Cowboy, then a maiden win by 20 lengths and on to a tough allowance at Remington where Wind was walked to the gate and hence injured, an event which stopped the stable in its tracks just about as we were to get the big payday. This also explains in part my great concern with warm ups.

Wind was ready again by 2001 but that was the year of the RR injury. And then back to Eureka in 2003 after Wind had his lung punctured on a T-post when he jumped in after a mare. The Vet saved his life, but Wind lost his speed after that incident and consistently finished way back in 4 races in 2003. I will note however, in 2003 the horse I saw in the afternoon had zero resemblance to the dynamo I was galloping in the morning. There was a bit of a jock problem with Wind in 2003.

Since 2003 Wind has been training. There have been rain outs and more owner illness much of 2005. And now we're back to the race track hopefully to enter a week from tomorrow. We'll know a lot more after tomorrow's breeze planned at 4f.

Art resumed training last night. Injury was obviously a foot bruise. He's fine!