Highveld trainer Robbie Sage has nurtured the famous white racehorse, Gran Blanco, to a point whereby he might soon race and in other yard news his smart three-year-old filly Madame Dubois is destined for America and will fly out on the same shipment, via Mauritius, as Smart Call and Noah For Goa.

Meanwhile, the Coastal Horse Care Unit, who have played an important role in Gran Blanco’s life, deservedly won the “Organisation Of The Year Award” at the last KZN Sports awards.

Gran Blanco attracted worldwide interest in 2011 when becoming the first ever white thoroughbred foal born in South Africa.

Most laymen would be surprised to learn this, because there are many thoroughbreds who appear white. However these horses are officially grey. Greys are born with a base colour, usually bay, chestnut or black, but an inherited gene slowly removes pigment from the coat and they might eventually appear to be white.

Actual white colouring in horses is caused by areas of skin that lack pigment cells, but it is usually only found near the feet and on the nose.

The cells are known as “depigmentation phenotypes”, and most of the genetics behind it is still unknown.

The world’s first ever white thoroughbred registered was a filly born in 1963 in Kentucky called White Beauty. She was a genetic mutation. By the end of 2005, only 48 white thoroughbreds had been registered in history, but 28 of these occurred between 2001 and 2005 as a result of the American Paint Horse Association, which specifically breeds unusually coloured thoroughbreds and quarter horses.

The Rathmor Stud-bred Gran Blanco, who is by Kahal out of Rakeen mare Perakeen, was knocked down at the National Yearling Sales in 2013 for R220,000.

However, the purchasers later fell on hard times and the Coastal Horse Care Unit were granted a court order to monitor the situation. Through the help of the latter organisation, aided by a concerned Rathmor Stud, Gran Blanco eventually found himself in the good hands of Sage.

The latter has deliberately allowed Gran Blanco to remain an entire in order to strengthen him up. The process of nurturing him back to full health and then conditioning him into racing shape has required a lot of kindness and horse care skills as well as a lot of patience and understanding from the current owner.

However, Gran Blanco was recently gelded, a sign his first start could be around the corner.

Meanwhile, Madame Dubois flies out to Mauritius on March 27, where she will stay for three months on the first leg of a long quarantine-dictated journey to America.

The Count Dubois filly won three of seven starts in South Africa, including the Gr 3 HSH Princess Charlene Of Monaco Starling Stakes over 1400m and the Gr 3 Three Troikas Stakes over 1450m. She beat the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner and runner up, Heaps Of Fun and Negoroamara, in the latter event. Originally owned solely by Colin Bird, her final start in South Africa in the Three Troikas was for a partnership consisting of Bird, Team Valor International, Valor Ladies LLC and Vanashree and Anant Singh.

Meanwhile, Gill Olmesdahl of the Coastal Horse Care Unit said the prizemoney from the KZN Sports Awards is being used to build more paddocks, a valuable asset in the horse care duties they carry out tirelessly.
– David Thiselton