Harness racing: White colt continues to garner attention

Ken Weingartner

Rare white colt shows off in front of the press

The 16 day-old white Standardbred colt, the first born of bay parents in North America since Historically Unique was born in Ontario in 1998, met the press today at his home at Fair Winds Farm in New Jersey. 

The son of Art Major and Coochie Mama, at a little more than two weeks of age, bucked, squealed, and alternately paced and ran alongside his dam as cameras rolled.  

Fair Winds, in Cream Ridge, is located roughly halfway between New York and Philadelphia, and there was media on hand from both cities. The ABC affiliate in Philadelphia sent a crew, as did the CBS affiliate in New York City and Trenton, N.J.-based WZBN. The New York Daily News sent a photographer, and the colt -- whose white coat is sprinkled with red hair between his ears and on his mane, and is likely related to a genetic mutation -- is expected to be featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer’s science section on May 28.  

The colt is owned by Pete Congilose of Toms River, N.J., who has not yet settled on a name.

“I have some in mind, but I am open to suggestions,” he said. “I’ve had ideas from all over, including my family.”

Those who would like to make a suggestion can email whitecolt@ustrotting.com and all suggestions will be forwarded to Congilose for consideration.

Farm manager Matt Garland said he was alarmed to get a phone call at about midnight on May 6, the day the colt was born, from night watchman Dan Conger.

“When you get a call like that, you move first and think later,” said Garland.  ‘I was grabbing my keys and my pants and running for the door when Dan said, ‘She had the foal – and it’s white!”