RARE WHITE COLT INSTANT FAVOURITE
RACING has its freak shows in terms of ability with horses such as Black Caviar and Winx and in terms of colouring trainer Ciaron Maher’s white two-year-old colt will sit alongside them.
Racegoers love flashy coloured horses such as Apache Cat and Miss Vista with their white faces and legs on top of their flashy chestnut colours but a white horse is something different again. The Australian Stud Book states that white horses are “very rare”.
Melbourne-based Maher said the only other white horse he could remember was the dam of his colt, The Opera House.
A daughter of Zabeel, The Opera House was bought by businessman John Singleton and rugby league great Andrew Johns for $270,000 at the 2008 Magic Millions sales on the Gold Coast.
She went on to win one race from nine starts.
Maher said “the white horse” had been at his Caulfield stables since last week and the trainer can’t believe the interest in him.
“The strappers are fighting to see who can look after him,” he said. “When he’s gone on to the track he’s got quite a bit of attention.”
Maher fell in love with the colt when he saw him as a foal in New Zealand and last January bought the son of Shamexpress with the China Horse Club for $500,000 at the Karaka Premier Yearling Sales. Maher said he might have paid a little more for the colt as a yearling because of his colour but he bought him for the style of horse he is.
“I’m not worried what colour he is. I buy them on type and he’s just a great type,” he said.
“He was a good little type as a foal and he’s only got better since. He moves well.
“He’s well-muscled but training wise he’s no different from the rest.” Maher said they always had to keep in mind the colt’s pigmentation when looking after him.
“You’ve got to shampoo them a bit more and put more sunscreen on them especially around the nose.”
Maher said the colt had done everything right when broken in and in pre-training at his Pakenham property.
He said this campaign was for education and he hoped he could make his debut in the middle of next year.