Bill Casner

Susan Casner, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, accomplished owner and breeder, and treasured member of the Thoroughbred community, passed away May 27 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was surrounded by the love of the family and friends who defined her life. Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, Susan's journey in racing began at Aksarben Race Track in Omaha, Nebraska, where she worked as a mutuel clerk. It was there that she met the love of her life, Bill Casner, who made a habit of placing wagers at the window...

Horses long ago tutored Eoin Harty in the kind of coincidences that defy rational explanation, as we'll discover when reaching the story of Well Armed. But losing both parents inside a week, in February, was maybe not quite as bewildering as it may seem. As Harty says himself, after 66 happy years together, perhaps the reason his father followed his mother so quickly was not so much a heart attack, as a broken heart. As a fifth-generation trainer, Harty owed not just personal but professional formation to his Irish genes....

Jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson has launched her latest "The Boundless Podcast," and her guest is Dr. Kayce Anderson, who is the daughter of WinStar Farm co-founder Bill Casner. Anderson is the executive director of the charity "For the Good." In her bio on the organization's website, she is described as "a humanitarian, ecologist, mom, explorer, and student." The For the Good website describes the charity's work as follows: "We work in a region of Kenya that has been labeled as 'not wanting education.' Our experience shows us the opposite:...

Bill Casner's Rafter C Ranch went to $260,000 to acquire Alisal (Uncle Mo), a 3-year-old stakes-placed filly, from Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton January Digital Sale. The priciest filly or mare sold Tuesday, Alisal raced exclusively at Remington Park for trainer H. Ray Ashford, Jr., breaking her maiden in her second start Oct. 9 and adding an allowance win next out Nov. 15 before capping off her season with a runner-up effort in the Toby Keith Stakes Dec. 20. Consigned by Warrendale Sales as a racing or broodmare prospect, Casner seems fit to...

Thoroughbred owner Bill Casner joins Dr. Ferrin Peterson on this week's edition of the Boundless Podcast. Casner talks about the many roles he has played in the industry, from being a 15-year-old looking for freelance gallops for $1 apiece at Sunland Park wearing a $5 motorcycle helmet he bought at a hock shop, to his victories in the world's biggest races. The Boundless Podcast sets out to tell stories of heartbreak and resilience, and at the heart of the conversation between the two, Casner talks about the devastating loss of...

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Want to submit an answer? Email suefinley@thetdn.com. BILL CASNER, CO-FOUNDER OF WINSTAR FARM What I am so optimistic about with horse racing right now is that young people are returning. Griffin Johnson has something like 2.5 million followers. When he went into the Derby, he had 1.2 million or something followers. He loves racing. He's got a vision of where it's going to go. He will bring, and he...

Members of The Race for Education (RFE) elected Kevin O'Keeffe as Board Chairman and Bill Casner as Vice-Chairman at the organization's recent board meeting. The board also includes original members Gay Bredin and David Ingordo, as well as new board member Pete Aiello, one of the RFE's first scholarship recipients and the current announcer at Gulfstream. "It is an honor to serve as Chair of The Race for Education, which has awarded over $7.5 million in scholarships and educational programs since its inception in 2000," said O'Keeffe, a Thoroughbred owner,...

On Saturday at Churchill Downs, 2-year-old Patch Adams (Into Mischief)--yes, as in the 1998 Robin Williams film where the best line might be, "Donner, party of 50!"--earned his very own 'Rising Star' on TDN's Walk of Fame. The colt turned in what Alan Carasso called "a jaw-dropping performance" as he broke his maiden by an eye-catching 10 1/2 lengths at second asking. The time over the fast main track was just 0.33 off the record held by MGISW Groupie Doll. Thoroughbred bloodlines can highlight connections to a rich past and...

Former jockey Aaron Gryder and five-time Eclipse Award-winning writer Jay Hovdey will be on hand at the upcoming Global Symposium on Racing to sign copies of Well Armed: A Thoroughbred of Destiny. The signing will take place on the afternoon of Dec. 10, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. The just-published book is a story about the son of Tiznow, bred and raced by WinStar Farm, who overcame many physical setbacks to win the 2009 G1 Dubai World Cup by a whopping 14 lengths. The story is...

Before his Not This Time colt topped the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale at $3.4 million, Bill Casner had never individually sold a million-dollar horse. And while he suspected this would be the one-his biggest breeding triumph in a long and distinguished history in the game--he wasn't at the sale Monday night. He had, he said, something more important to do. Instead, Casner was 7,300 miles away in Kenya to support the work of his daughter, Kayce Anderson, the founder of For the Good, a charity which helps girls in remote parts...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, a record-setter during its last two renewals, opened with a power-packed start-to-finish session Monday evening in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. "We won the first half," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "It was a really strong start to the opening session of the 2024 Saratoga yearling sale. We averaged over $500,000 tonight and the median was $400,000. Our RNA rate at an elite sale at 20% is pretty remarkable. We always aim for zero, but...

Editor's note: Bill Casner, a long-time participant in many facets of racing, is probably best known for founding WinStar Farm with Kenny Troutt and winning the 2010 GI Kentucky Derby with Super Saver. Among Casner's many roles in the sport have been founding director of the Race for Education and Kentucky Equine Education Program (KEEP). He has sold his interest in WinStar to Troutt and currently operates as Casner Racing. Horse racing is in a firestorm. We are at survival tipping point. The decisions that are made in the short...