Justin Casse passed on the family training business over 4:30 a.m. wake-ups. Now he owns stakes in about 100 racehorses across six countries

Justin Casse thought he wanted to become a horse trainer like his older brother, but there was just one little problem: the 4:30 a.m. wake-up calls.  

Fresh out of Florida State University, he was working for his older brother, Mark, caring for animals whose schedules didn’t accommodate weekends or holidays. He wanted a future in the family business, but found himself drawn toward buying and selling horses—a career that would eventually have him scouting thoroughbreds across the world and advising high end clients on investments that could pay off spectacularly or unravel before a horse even reached the starting gate.

“Horses don’t know holidays, right? Or weekends,” Casse told Fortune.

Now 46, Casse works as a bloodstock agent, helping clients evaluate, buy, and sell thoroughbreds. He also breeds and invests in horses himself, owning stakes in about 100 across six countries, he said. His family name helped him enter the industry. However, building his own business meant leaving the family operation, developing relationships abroad, and learning with his own money how little an experienced horseman can even control. 

Growing up in the Casse family 

Casse’s parents essentially had a racetrack meet-cute. His father was training horses and betting on them; his mother enjoyed wagering with her family. Born in Ocala, Fla., Casse grew up between farms, auctions, and racing communities in Florida, Kentucky, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Wherever he lived, horses were part of the backdrop.

But familiarity didn’t immediately translate into ambition. As a teenager, he was more interested in music and sports than figuring out a career. At Florida State, he studied international affairs, and was drawn to travel and considering diplomacy. 

Then his turning point came around, and its name was Exciting Story—and it really was one. Mark won the Met Mile at Belmont Park—a prestigious Grade 1 race, the highest level of thoroughbred competition—with the long-shot horse, and watching his brother succeed brought a rush of emotion.

If his brother’s victory could make him feel that strongly, Casse recalled wondering, what would achieving something himself feel........

© Fortune