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Tom Archdeacon: Colt's name is a thanks to serviceman
Friday, May 02, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If ever there was a symbol of both the terrible loss and great victory that life can bring — if there was a figure of bad times past, good times ahead and that important buffer zone in between — it is Colonel John.
He's the feisty bay colt, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, who is the morning line's 4-1 second pick for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3.
Extras
But this isn't just a horse tale — it's a very human one.
One that Susan Casner, wife of Bill Casner, co-owner of WinStar Farm which bred and races Colonel John, politely declined to talk about in detail Thursday.
And yet she didn't have to. The Casners' actions, the interplay you witnessed around Barn 41 where Colonel John is stabled on the Churchill Downs backside, and especially that unabashed love she shows for her colt told you plenty.
It said that while this is about a Derby dream, it's also a story rooted in a nightmare from six years ago.
On Oct. 12, 2002, the youngest of the Casners' two daughters — 23-year-old Karri — was killed in the terrorist bombing of a Bali nightclub.
Just graduated from the University of Colorado, she had joined her sister Kayce, 18 months her senior, on a trip to Southeast Asia.
Kayce was about to begin a project studying crocodiles for Conservation International in Cambodia. First the sisters went to Thailand and Karri so enjoyed herself, she decided before returning home she'd visit Bali with some Australians she'd met.
That she had made quick friends was not surprising. As Kayce once told an ABC reporter, her sister had a big personality, an enthusiasm for life and an energy to which everyone gravitated.
She was in the club in the Suri district of Bali when a suicide bomber detonated his backpack. Outside a bigger car bomb exploded. In all, 202 people from 21 countries were killed. A radical Islamic cleric with alleged al-Qaida ties was convicted of orchestrating the attack and got a light sentence.
The Casners were left to cope, and one person they turned to was Lt. Col. John Geider, a family friend and an associate of WinStar co-owner Kenny Troutt.
"John was a big comfort to us then," Susan said Thursday, her gaze straying to Geider, who stood nearby.
And now, as the healing process continues, some of the best balm keeps coming from their magnificent colt.
Here's the one
Colonel John's story actually begins in November 2001 when Susan accompanied Bill to the Keeneland sales, where he was selling a horse.
"Bill was busy watching his horse in the back ring and I was watching this beautiful, huge, black mare," Susan said. "She was in foal, but she was snorting and had all this fire and it's like we were communicating, like she was saying, 'Susan, here I am. I'm yours.' "
She told her husband about the mare and thought he might buy her when he went out front to the sales. But he was preoccupied with his own business and forgot.
"When he came back, he saw my face drop," Susan said. "But then he said, 'I don't think they got the price they were asking and she didn't sell.'"
The next morning Bill bought the mare — Sweet Damsel — for $65,000. Eventually they bred her to Tiznow, a back-to-back winner of the Breeders Cup Classic.
"When the baby was born, he was full of the fire his mother had," Susan said. "Right away I thought, 'OK, here's the one.' "
She had wanted to name a horse after Geider — a career serviceman who had begun as an Air Force navigator on B-52 bombers, switched to Army intelligence and eventually ended up in the Reserve. When his namesake was born, he had been called back and was serving in Iraq.
"When she named him, Susan gave me a promotion," grinned the 52-year-old Geider, who first saw the colt in the flesh Thursday. "I've seen him plenty on video, but this is the first time I've met him."
And with that he laughed: "I went to his stall, turned away for a second and he bit me in the hand. It was hard enough to let me know he wanted my attention."
The colt is starting to draw a lot of attention because of what he stands for.
"It's not just Colonel John, it's about every single man and woman who is serving our country and protecting us," said Susan. "You know, 9/11 is something I'll never forget. All the tragedy. We all have friends that have lost loved ones in the war. And this is a way to honor all of them and thank them for the sacrifices."
While Bill said Susan came up with the name, he agrees with what it represents:
"So many people in our country don't have a real appreciation for what all our servicemen have gone through since back to the American Revolution," he said. "They take for granted how they've put themselves in harm's way to enable us to live the way we live and have the enjoyments we do."
A great-minded horse
When it comes to the sporting world, one of the grandest, most long-standing enjoyments is the Kentucky Derby, and now the Casners have a colt, ridden by veteran jockey Corey Nakatani, who is one of the favorites.
Although all seven of his races have come on synthetic surfaces, his trainer Eoin Harty, the Irishman who prepped eight years with Bob Baffert, said the Churchill Downs' dirt won't be a problem.
He said Colonel John trained on dirt as a 2-year-old and points to last Sunday's Churchill workout — five furlongs in 57 and fourth-fifths seconds, the day's fastest effort at that distance:
"I think he's even better on dirt than synthetic tracks."
And Bill thinks he'll be just fine with Saturday's large crowd and 20-horse field.
"His mind is his greatest strength. A lot of horses, when they hit that paddock on Derby Day, they melt. But he's incredibly confident. Just a great-minded horse. He really embraces the moment," Bill said.
Kind of sounds like some of those traits Kayce brought up about Karri.
And though she doesn't say so, Susan especially seems to link past and present when she talks about the Derby:
"On Saturday, I'm afraid the emotions are really going to peak and I'll probably be a complete basket case," she said. "Sure, I'd love to have Colonel John win, but I always just say I want him to come back healthy. I want him to come back safe and sound."
She smiled, grew silent and then shrugged: "I guess that just sounds like a female talking."
No, it sounds like a parent.
