He’d wanted a golden palomino, but his initial gloominess proved to be premature. It turned out, that the gangly pale colt his young stepdaughter, Emily Thouin, named Casper (after Casper the Friendly Ghost) became a valuable addition to his stable. 

"He’s what is called a Cremello, meaning he is cream-colored and has blue eyes." Isley said. "Some think he’s a albino, but if he were he’d have pink eyes."  The colt "became a Cremello because he has two diluted genes."  "If he’d had one diluted gene, he would have been born a golden palomino," Isley said. 

Such stallions are good for breeding, because the offspring will always be the color of the mare. Because of a Cremello’s two diluted genes, it cannot pass along its color. But its other physical qualities, such as muscular strength, can be passed on.  

During the next three months, Isley will be making preparations to transfer the colt, which now weighs around 500 pounds, to its new owner, the operator of a horse farm near Sydney, Australia.  It will be an experience that the 55-year-old Isley had never imagined he’d ever do. 
In early November, Isley will take the colt, which has been renamed Potassium by the buyer, to Kentucky, where it will be quarantined until flown to Australia on a cargo flight out of Chicago. When the colt is fully grown, he will be used for breeding. 

"Honestly, I just wanted my mare, Skip-a-City Slicker, to have a golden palomino colt that I would train, raise and show," said Isley, owner of Isley Quarter Horses.  He’d spent a sizable sum to have his mare artificially inseminated with sperm from Perpetuation of Texas, a nine time world champion golden palomino.  Isley first felt that getting a Cremello instead of a golden palomino would be costly financially. Later in the spring, he and his wife found out through the Internet that the Australian horse breeder was in the market for just such a colt, and especially one descended from championship winners. 

While the sales price was not disclosed, Isley said the result will be that he will do just as well financially with the pale colt as he would have had it been the golden palomino he’d wanted. "The colt has gotten a lot of attention here at the farm," he said. "Everybody has liked him and thought he’s really unusual. We’re going to miss him after he goes to Australia." 

Isley boards a few horses for other people in addition to his horse training operation at 7104 Howerton Road, Gibsonville. 

Jim Wicker can be reached at jim_wicker@link.freedom.com 

Peter Schumacher / Times-New