1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 December Voice | Page 6

In the fall of 1966, shortly after the Celebration,
we received a phone call from Mr. Wink Groover of
Etowah, Tennessee, who described a two-year-old stud
colt that he had just received for training. His praise
for this particular colt was very impressive and he
stated that the colt was for sale. His only stipulation
was that "he remain at the Wink Groover Stables.”
The price was reasonable for an unknown two-year-old
and we made several efforts to locate prospective
buyers. In the interim Mr. Groover took this colt to
Jackson, Mississippi, and won the Two-Year-Old Class
in convincing fashion. When we heard from him again,
the horse had been purchased by Mr. Groover and
Buddy Black, and was the subject of much interest
on the Montgomery Horse Show grounds. By this time
there were a lot of people willing to pay ten thousand
for him, and several offered up to thirteen thousand.
The asking price at the time, just one month after we
first talked with Wink Groover, was fifteen thousand
dollars. Through the winter months the horse contin
ued to improve and by the time show season arrived
in the spring of 1967 he was the subject of much
speculation. His first show as a three-year-old was
Centerville, Tennessee, and it was after this show
that he was purchased for the asking price of $15,000
by Mr. S. W. Beech of Lewisburg and Mr. Billy Hale
of Gallatin, Tennessee. The horse was, of course,
ACE’S SENSATION.
After the show in Centerville, ACE’S SENSATION
was shown sparingly by Mr. Groover. He was entered
in the Columbia Spring Jubilee and was being readied
for competition when one of his owners expressed his
concern because another of his horses would be in the
same class. Not wishing to disappoint anyone, Mr.
Groover waited until the last horse left the ring that
night and, while the crowd was still on hand, brought
ACE’S SENSATION into the arena. The exhibition
was memorable indeed, as the crowd returned to the
stadium to see this truly outstanding black stallion
work both ways of the ring. From this moment on,
ACE’S SENSATION was considered a geniune "con
tender.”
His popularity increased and his reputation grew,
and when the 1967 Celebration drew nigh he was not
to disappoint his many new fans. In a great class of
Three-Year-Old Stallions, ACE’S SENSATION cap
tured his first blue ribbon at the Championship clas
sic. He returned later in the week to capture the
Three-Year-Old World Championship and to launch
one of the most ambitious programs attempted in
recent years. He was entered in the Grand Champ
ionship Stake but common sense prevailed and he
was not shown.
As a Junior horse, ACE’S SENSATION had a dis
tinct advantage for the first time in his career. He
was the reigning champion and was a fitting "target”
for all who would seek his crown. As the 1968 season
progressed, he took on all comers and was great at
mid-season at the Columbia Spring Jubilee, where he
won an easy victory in a good class. Rumor had it
there was some dissention in the-ranks as his owners
would prefer "more speed and less perfection” in his
gaits. Mr. Groover wrestled with the task of producing
a horse that could win and still satisfy his owners
with a "crowd-pleasing” performance. A perfectionist
in every sense of the word, Wink Groover went to
v/ork to test his horse. As he headed down the stretch
toward the Celebration he showed ACE’S SENSATION
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at little shows and big shows, and made many chan
ges in his performance. He showed him at times with
great speed in the running walk, and he showed him
at times in three gaits that were almost reminiscent
of the "old-time” Walking Horse. As the big show
neared, he went to work to assess all that he had
learned to produce a winner that had three superb
gaits and still had the speed and stamina to stay
with the best.
As the record books now clearly indicate, ACE’S
SENSATION was equal to the task at hand and Wink
Groover’s efforts throughout the summer paid off. He
did indeed produce a winner. ACE’S SENSATION has
recently been referred to as a "super horse” due to
his magnificent performances at the Celebration this
year. He was shown to win the Junior Stallion Class
and came back to win the Junior Championship two
nights later. The following night the massive Celebra
tion audience was thrilled to see ACE’S SENSATION
again enter the ring for the Championship Stake
Class. Three strenuous performances in one week . . .
a feat that has not been attempted since GO BOY’S
SHADOW won the big stake in 1956.
The facts concerning the sale of ACE’S SENSATION
during the waning hours of the Celebration this year
are not precise, but we do know tha