Owner Bio
Graig Couton emerged as one of the youngest racehorse owners in the United States in 2016, launching his career at the age of 26 as co-founder of New York–based Linette Stables LLC alongside his father, William Couton, and longtime family friend Anthony Petrashka.
The stable’s runners were entrusted to the care of two-time New York Trainer of the Year Gary Contessa and his training partner, John Diaz. The name “Linette” was chosen as a tribute to the wives of William and Anthony, reflecting the family-centered foundation of the enterprise.
Linette Stables achieved an early milestone when, in just its second career start, the gelding Chelios captured a claiming victory at Aqueduct Racetrack in January 2017.
While Linette Stables remained a relatively small operation, typically claiming horses in lower-level races, they would often donate a portion of their stables winning to various charitable causes.
In 2018, the stable expanded its footprint beyond New York, campaigning runners across multiple jurisdictions including Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Florida, in partnership with trainer Wayne Potts. This period marked the peak of Linette Stables’ regional presence and operational reach.
In the summer of 2020, Graig’s father and founding partner, William Couton passed away at the age of 73 following a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. Linette Stables would run its final race a few weeks later at Laurel Park in July 2020, bringing a meaningful close to the stables chapter.
After a four-year hiatus from horse ownership, Graig Couton returned to the sport in 2024, forming a new stable as a sole owner, under the deliberately irreverent banner of “Graig Couton’s Super Top Secret Stud Services, LLC”—a reflection of both his enduring passion for racing and his distinctive sense of humor.
