Air Groove
| Air Groove | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Tony Bin |
| Grandsire | Kampala |
| Dam | Dyna Carle |
| Damsire | Northern Taste |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | April 6, 1993 |
| Died | April 23, 2013 (aged 20) |
| Country | Japan |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Shadai Farm Hayakita |
| Owner | Satoshi Yoshihara |
| Trainer | Yuji Ito |
| Jockey | Yutaka Take |
| Record | 19:9-5-3 |
| Earnings | ¥821,966,000 |
| Major wins | |
| Yushun Himba (1996) Tenno Sho (Autumn) (1997) Sapporo Kinen (1997, 1998) Ōsaka Hai (1998) | |
| Awards | |
| Japanese Horse of the Year (1997) JRA Award for Best Older Filly or Mare (1997) | |
Air Groove (Japanese: エアグルーヴ; April 6, 1993 - April 23, 2013) was a Japanese racehorse and broodmare.
She won the 1996 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) after her mother, Dyna Carle, won it in 1983. In 1997, Air Groove won the Grade 1 Autumn Tenno Sho and became the first mare chosen for Japanese Horse of the Year in 26 years. She was nicknamed the Empress for how she competed on par with male horses. Her other wins included the 1996 Tulip Sho (G3), the 1997 Sapporo Kinen (G2) and Mermaid Stakes (Japan) (G3), and the 1998 Sapporo Kinen (G2) and Sankei Ōsaka Hai (G2).
After retirement, she became a broodmare. Her foals included two G1 winners: Admire Groove (winner of the 2003 and 2004 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, fathered by Sunday Silence) and Rulership (winner of the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, fathered by King Kamehameha).