This is the story of a near tragedy and a new beginning for a horse and of the reawakening of a man’s purest passion for racing.

The horse is the exquisitely handsome bay Well Armed, who just two years ago was languished near death after suffering a painful fracture in his hip.

The man is Bill Casner, co-owner of WinStar Farm and chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Casner was determined to save Well Armed, a son of WinStar stallion Tiznow, and he personally labored over him for almost a year, from swimming the powerful horse in an equine pool to riding him in a stock saddle, in hopes of returning him to health and to racing.

Today, this horse and this man stand together, reborn and ready for the exhilaration of running in the world’s richest race, the $6 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I).

Casner said on Friday that he has not felt such a rush of adrenaline excitement about a horse and a race in three decades, ever since he stopped training racehorses himself and lost the intimate connection with them that only their immediate caretakers possess.

“This morning I started getting it again,” he said. “This is the first time in 30 years I have felt it like this, and I think it’s because of having been part of the process of bringing this horse back.”

Foaled in 2003 out of the WinStar mare Well Dressed, by Notebook, Well Armed was retained by the farm because he toed in significantly. That was the primary reason he was sent to England, where Casner believed racing on turf or synthetic tracks would help keep him sound.

Trainer Clive Brittain decided to take Well Armed to Dubai for the 2006 Dubai International Racing Carnival, and the horse made a quick splash by winning a competitive race that propelled him into the United Arab Emirates classic events.

However, he emerged from an unplaced finish in the UAE Derby (UAE-II) with a bone chip in a knee and was sent back to the United States. Shortly after surgery, his story took another downward turn. Lying down in his stall, Well Armed fractured the point of his hip after bumping against a block wall.

“He was in tremendous pain,” Casner said. “It was pretty iffy for a while … there was talk we might have to put him down.”

But neither horse nor man gave up. Casner took Well Armed, who was gelded when he was three because he was getting so big and heavy, to his farm in Flower Mound, Texas, and just took his time.

When Well Armed was ready, his early rehabilitation revolved around swimming laps—eventually as many as 35, which amazed Casner, who had not seen another horse be able to do so much. Well Armed could do 35 laps in the same time another talented WinStar runner took to do only 25 laps, and then Well Armed would emerge from the pool and take only a couple of deep breaths.

“He couldn’t blow out a candle a minute later,” Casner said.

The swimming helped build up hind end muscles that had atrophied badly following the fracture. In time, Well Armed was ready to be ridden again, and Casner threw a stock saddle on his back and started riding the gelding in a sand-based round pen. Knowing he had always been a strong, eager horse, Casner said he would jog Well Armed for 30 minutes in the round pen before taking him into his arena for more drills.

At times, they spent as much as two hours in exercise.

“I finally stopped because I could never get to the bottom of him,” Casner said. “This horse thrives in his work.”

Following nearly a year of intensive effort with Well Armed, Casner decided to send the gelding to California-based trainer Eoin Harty.“I knew Eoin would do a heck of a job and that the synthetic surfaces in California would help,” Casner said.

But no one could have predicted that the result would be two wins in four starts, a track record at Hollywood Park for 1 1/8 miles and a victory in the San Antonio Handicap (gr. II) that propelled the team into the Dubai World Cup.

Since his return to Dubai, Well Armed seems to remember the surroundings—and is happy to be back, according to assistant trainer Jake Vinci.

“He’s just tickled to be here,” Vinci said while leading the gelding off the Nad Al Sheba track.

Well Armed has trained with gusto, pulling hard on his exercise riders with his ears straight up and his eyes bright. No one could ever guess that this vibrant horse teetered near death such a relatively short time ago.

Harty and Casner give each other credit for Well Armed’s resurrection, and both are awed by the horse.

“Have you seen his girth? It is tremendous; he has great lung capacity,” Harty said. “I’ve never seen him take a deep breath.”

“He’s just a neat horse,” Casner said. “He’s a lot of racehorse and this is so much fun.”