updated 4:19 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2007

LOS ANGELES - These are rueful times in the barn of Lava Man, the richest claiming horse in thoroughbred history.

The horse’s groom lost his left arm in a freeway accident July 23. Then Merv Griffin, who was trainer Doug O’Neill’s highest-profile client, died last Sunday of prostate cancer.

A pall has settled over O’Neill’s operation leading to the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sunday when Lava Man defends his title against 12 challengers. Noe Garcia, the groom, is expected to be there.

“It will be a very emotional day with Lava Man running and Noe is supposed to come out, so that will even make it more meaningful,” said Dennis O’Neill, Doug’s brother, assistant and best friend.

Garcia was headed to work at Del Mar when his van was struck by a car in an accident on Interstate 5 that authorities say was caused by a drunken driver. The van overturned on its left side, severing Garcia’s arm just below his shoulder. Doctors were unable to save it.

Heriberto Castillo of Oceanside has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of driving under the influence and causing injuries, driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level in excess of 0.08 percent, and hit and run, the California Highway Patrol said.

Since Doug O’Neill claimed Lava Man for $50,000 three years ago, the 6-year-old gelding has earned more than $5 million for his owners.

Garcia oversaw preparations as the horse won three straight Hollywood Gold Cups, including his latest in June, two consecutive Santa Anita Handicaps and last year’s Pacific Classic. He also groomed Sky Jack, another Gold Cup winner, during 11 years with O’Neill.

The 39-year-old groom has a wife and four children.

MSNBC video Merv Griffin dies at age 82 Aug. 12: Merv Griffin, who died at 82, was a master of reinventing himself in entertainment. NBC News' Jinah Kim reports. MSNBC

Dennis O’Neill said Garcia is doing better physically, but has struggled mentally.

“You can only imagine waking up one day and not having your left arm, especially for a guy like him who relies on his physical ability to do things,” O’Neill said. “He was really depressed after the accident. We got him counseling right away. He’s realizing how much support he has.”

The O’Neill brothers helped organize a poker tournament and silent auction Thursday night near Del Mar, with the goal of raising $100,000 to help with Garcia’s recovery and rehabilitation, as well as buying him a prosthetic arm. A final tally was not immediately available.

“We want to get him back doing what he did,” O’Neill said.

“If we can get the Rolls-Royce of prosthetic arms on him, they’re saying he actually will be able to move his fingers within a year. So there’s a goal we’re trying to achieve, and it’s definitely a reachable goal.”

Dennis O’Neill had mentioned the groom’s accident to Griffin, who despite his own declining health, donated items related to President Reagan and autographed one of his CDs for the silent auction.

“He was real generous in a bad time in his life,” O’Neill said.

Griffin, an entertainer-turned-multimillionaire businessman, was 82 when he died without realizing his dream of running a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

The creator of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” came close with Stevie Wonderboy, who won the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2005 and earned the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top 2-year-old.

The Juvenile victory stamped the colt as the early favorite for the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but a leg injury kept him out of the race.

Dennis O’Neill had picked out Stevie Wonderboy at a sale of 2-year-olds and purchased him for $100,000 on Griffin’s behalf.

“That might be the best horse we ever had,” O’Neill said.

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“When I found out Merv passed, I flashed back to the Breeders’ Cup and thinking, ’We’re going to get Merv Griffin a Kentucky Derby.’ He was so excited that day. That is one of our biggest disappointments in racing.”

There would be another.

Griffin thought he had a solid contender for this year’s Derby with Cobalt Blue, but at the last minute he decided the colt’s prep results hadn’t earned him a shot on the first Saturday in May.

“He just didn’t want to go to be part of the party,” O’Neill said. “He really wanted to have a chance to win the Derby.”

O’Neill remembered a Derby week phone conversation with Griffin.

“His comment was, ’We’re going to have plenty of opportunities in the future,’ which is kind of ironic at this point,”’ O’Neill said.

Two months after the Derby, Griffin was hospitalized for a recurrence of prostate cancer.

“It just spread really, really fast, and they couldn’t get control of it,” said O’Neill, who battled cancer himself a year ago and remembered Griffin’s encouragement. “He was so sympathetic and he put his arm around me. He was very, very inspirational to me.”

Lava Man could do the same with a win in the Pacific Classic. And put smiles on a lot of faces in Doug O’Neill’s barn.

“It’s been really, really tough,” Dennis O’Neill said, “but you hope Sunday brings it all together.”

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