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Bubba Cascio - 2016

  • Writer: TCHOF
    TCHOF
  • Nov 19, 2015
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 24


Award winning horse trainer.


Induction Year: 2016

Birth – Death:

  • Born 1932, Houston, Texas

  • Died November 2, 2022, Tolar, Texas

Primary Discipline: Equine Industry

Profession / Role: Horse trainer

Primary Skills: Racehorse training, horsemanship development, horse conditioning

Known For: A pioneering trainer in Quarter Horse racing who conditioned multiple world champions and later achieved success training Thoroughbreds.


Early Life and Background

Charles W. “Bubba” Cascio was born in 1932 in Houston, Texas, into a family deeply rooted in horse racing. His uncle managed Epsom Downs during a period when pari-mutuel racing was legal in Texas, and although wagering later ceased, the facility remained active as a training track. Cascio was immersed in the racing environment from childhood, beginning work at the track at age ten as a horse walker and progressing to galloping horses by age twelve.


By sixteen, Cascio was riding professionally as a jockey at tracks including Fairmount Park in East St. Louis and other venues around the country. As he grew and could no longer maintain riding weight, he transitioned into other equine disciplines, including cutting horses, where he trained under Matlock Rose of Gainesville, Texas. Cascio credited Rose with teaching him fundamental horse-handling skills, while his father, Jake Cascio, a respected trainer throughout the Southwest, shaped his understanding of racehorse management and preparation.


Professional Career and Rise

Cascio’s career expanded rapidly through influential professional relationships, including his work with Lester Goodson, a former president of the American Quarter Horse Association. In 1956, Cascio accompanied Goodson on a historic trip to Washington, D.C., to present two American Quarter Horses—Doodle De Do and Sporty Miss—to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. During the visit, Cascio rode one of the horses in a reining demonstration on the White House lawn.


Over more than four decades, Cascio became one of the most successful trainers in Quarter Horse racing history. He trained Dash For Cash to consecutive world championships in 1976 and 1977 and conditioned Dashingly, the sport’s top money-earning female and a world champion in 1983. Cascio also won the All American Futurity twice, with Three Oh’s in 1968 and Rocket Wrangler in 1970.


His achievements included becoming the first Quarter Horse trainer whose horses earned more than one million dollars in purse money, earning leading trainer honors at ten different racetracks, and conditioning horses that won a combined fifteen world racing titles. In addition to racing, Cascio judged AQHA shows in multiple states and competed successfully in cutting horse events.


In the later stages of his career, Cascio transitioned into Thoroughbred training. His runners included Texas Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Lights On Broadway in 2001 and stakes winner Gold Storm, a Thoroughbred he campaigned to compete in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup at Lone Star Park, along with other notable performers. His Thoroughbred career culminated in national-level competition, including a Breeders’ Cup Sprint appearance.


Legacy and Impact

C. W. “Bubba” Cascio’s legacy is defined by versatility, innovation, and longevity. He bridged multiple equine disciplines, excelling as a jockey, cutting horse competitor, Quarter Horse trainer, and Thoroughbred conditioner. His success helped elevate the professional standards of Quarter Horse racing and demonstrated the transferability of horsemanship principles across racing breeds.


Cascio was widely respected for his eye for talent, his conditioning methods, and his mentorship of younger horsemen. His influence extended beyond the racetrack through his judging work, industry leadership, and the example he set as a trainer who adapted and remained competitive across changing eras of the horse industry.


Later Years and Death

In his later years, Cascio operated Cascio Racing Stables with his wife, Judy, conditioning young horses and remaining actively engaged in training well into his eighties. He passed away peacefully at his home in Tolar, Texas, on November 2, 2022, at the age of 90, following a period of declining health. There is a stone with C. W. “Bubba” Cascio in the Prayer Garden overlooking the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack. He will always be remembered!


Honors and Recognition

  • Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, inducted 2015

  • American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, inducted 2008

  • Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, inducted 2002

  • Multiple-time leading trainer at Quarter Horse racetracks nationwide

  • Trainer of multiple Quarter Horse World Champions, including:Dash For CashDashingly

  • All American Futurity winner as trainer:1968 – Three Oh’s1970 – Rocket Wrangler


Links and References

 


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