MOUNT Gambier played host to what is believed to be a world first last night.
Returning from a long spell, White Lion proved too good for his rivals to break his maiden at just his second start.
Trained and driven by Victorian horseman Matthew Craven, the unfashionably-bred pacer rated 2:04.4 over 1780 metres to score by a half-head from Vista Sierra, with Purple Kaida a metre-and-a-half away third.
While the entire’s time or performance is nothing out of the ordinary, White Lion’s appearance is what makes the victory so unique.
A result of designer breeding by enthusiast Kerrie Hymers, White Lion is considered the only palomino standardbred racing anywhere in the world!
The four-year-old is by cream-coloured stallion Arctic Cat which is a son of buckskin skewbald sire, A Bit Of Bling, and chestnut mare, Van Goddess.
White Lion’s dam, Rainbow Banner, is a chestnut mare which won five of her 85 starts.
Craven purchased White Lion via Australian Pacing Gold's 2022 Melbourne Sale.
“He is the ultimate designer baby,” Hymers said. “It has taken three generations and genetic testing for colour to produce him and Angelic Cat an unraced mare which was foaled in 2018 and is also by Arctic Cat.
“The process included selecting mares with the right colour and a good pedigree to add some strength on both dams’ side.
“I wanted to get some colour and keep the cream gene going, but the ultimate aim was a palomino.
“It was a challenging and a long process, but I’m so happy we got there.”
While White Lion has chestnut ancestors dating back nine generations on his dam's side, as well as skewbald, grey and buckskin via his sire.
Delving as far back in Angelic Cat’s family as electronic records allow, Watson’s Creamy Mare is the first of the clan to be registered as ‘colour’.
Watson’s Creamy Mare is the dam of Milky Way which is the dam of inaugural Inter Dominion champion, Evicus.
Also cream, Milky Way is the first member of the family to have a listed foal date - September 1, 1911.
Evicus’ status as champion has been debated throughout the years as the mare never won a race during the series, but was awarded the title on points.
Although listed as a black mare, Evicus is reported to be ‘smokey grey’.
Milky Way is also the dam of Icevus, which won a heat of the 1940 Inter Dominion before being involved in a fall during the Final.
A cream buckskin, Icevus became a successful sire.
