April 4 - Well Armed

Kudos on winning the richest race in the world (at the time) but the real story about Well Armed begins with the man behind the horse, Bill Casner.

Well Armed was raced by WinStar, which at the time was a partnership between Kenny Troutt and Bill. But this was Bill's horse. This IS Bill's horse and will always be his horse. Without Bill, this horse's racing career would have been cut short before it got off the ground. Bill did everything to care for Well Armed, to get him healthy, and did it with old-fashioned horsemanship, creative new technology, and the hardest thing to do sometimes, he gave him a lot of time before he gave him another chance. To return to the track was a victory; to win the Dubai World Cup was a story book.

But it's the rest of Well Armed life that sounds more like a fairy tale. You see, Bill took HIS horse back to Texas and used him in some roping contests. I believe he was used by a young girl in some three-day event which is dressage, cross country, and show jumping. You see, his career wasn't over before it got started and it was not over when he retired; Well Armed was just getting started. If the horse racing industry is ever looking for a poster boy (& horse) to campaign to show how we love our horses, care for horses, and can have careers after their racing careers are over, start taking your pictures and putting up your posters. This is your boy, and HIS man.