Sigler took on the role as their trainer after John A. Casey – James Casey’s son and a man Sigler calls his “best friend” – passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack only months after the elder Casey had passed away. Many of the horses previously owned and trained by John A. Casey were transferred to the barn of Kristy Petty, Casey’s longtime partner and the mother of their son Allen.

The two passings in quick succession were an emotional blow to the family, and to the local racing community, and left a number of horses needing new trainers. Sigler ended up with some that James Casey had started, including Jubaslilballerina and Late in the Game. Those are owned by Casey’s Legacy LLC, set up for the benefit of Allen.

“Not only have I been around the horses almost all of my life, John Casey was my best friend,” Sigler said. “He was my buddy. I mean, we talked every day, often more than once a day. I know that last year was difficult for him because he had that bad hip and then was just coming back to work when he had his heart attack. Losing him was tough for me, and it was tough for Kristy and Allen.”

Sigler is scheduled to saddle five horses over Charles Town’s closing weekend, including four on the final day of live racing for 2023, Saturday, December 16. He’ll head into the final week having saddled 35 winners from 167 starters this year with earnings of just under $900,000. Underscoring the impact of the Casey runners is the fact that those numbers represent roughly two-thirds of his career stats which feature 54 winners and just shy of $1.3 million banked.

The Caseys had a major impact on the West Virginia Breeders Classics over the years, with James W. saddling 35 winners. So it was fitting that Sigler’s two stakes wins this year came on WVBC night.

Juba’s Hat Trick and Jubaslilballerina, recorded victories on the West Virginia Breeders Classics night card, those coming in successive races. Several other runners that Sigler trains for the Casey’s Legacy LLC, including Late in the Game, No Denying Denis, Jazz With Denis and Lord of Cork, have also won for Sigler since he inherited their training.

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“It was a good year for me as a trainer and for the entire barn,” Sigler said. “We had anywhere from 25-30 in training at one time but we’re probably down to about 10-12 right now with the meet ending soon and winter coming. Those horses like Juba’s Hat Trick and Jubaslilballerina had great years and they deserve some time off until next spring. Everyone was impressed with how well the Jubas ran this year. I know Mr. Casey was always real high on him as a sire, and he’s proven himself already in a short time.”

In fact, Juba is third in progeny earnings among West Virginia sires and, with four individual stakes winners, ranks first in that category. His earnings are just behind the top pair, longtime local kingpin Fiber Sonde and Windsor Castle.

While Sigler recently expanded his training regimen after inheriting many of the Taylor Mountain Farm homebreds, he is still perhaps more widely known as a horse dentist. Sigler spends hours traveling between Charles Town and Fair Hail to primarily perform routine work on horses of all ages and abilities. He has filed down the teeth for horses that have appeared in the Kentucky Derby to WVBC stakes winners to maiden claimers.

“A couple of years ago I worked on Win Win Win and Independence Hall at Fair Hill, and I’ve also done work on a lot of the horses at Laurel and here [at Charles Town],” Sigler said. “Most of the horses get their teeth filed twice a year, but some of the bigger barns like to get them done three times a year. A lot of the local guys usually get them done once a year. But horses’ teeth are not like human teeth. They’re always growing and they’re sharp, so you have to file them down so that they’re easier to steer when they have the bit in their mouth.”

It turns out that steering horses through tumultuous times is something at which Ron Sigler has plenty of experience.