Not often is there an opportunity to bet on a 200,000-to-1 shot, but such will be the case Tuesday at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
At least figuratively.
White Bliss, the rare white harness racing horse, makes his career debut in race No. 11 at Pocono Downs. The race is scheduled for approximately 9:30 p.m.
Ake Svanstedt, who trains White Bliss, will drive the two-year-old colt pacer in the race for maiden two-, three- and four-year-olds. White Bliss will start from post four and is 4-1 on the morning line.
White Bliss is a son of two bay-coloured horses: stallion Art Major and mare Coochie Mama. Approximately 200,000 Standardbred foals were born of bay parents since white filly Historicallyunique (sire Historic, a bay, and dam Noble Mom, registered as brown) was born in Ontario in 1998.
Owned by Knutsson Trotting Inc. (Michael Knutsson and Tristan Sjoberg) and Asa Sjoberg, White Bliss sold for $240,000 at the 2013 Standardbred Horse Sale.
The colt prepped for his debut with three qualifiers at Pocono Downs. He was timed in 1:56.3 in the most recent, on Oct. 23.
“He was very green in his first start, but he’s gotten better and better in each qualifier,” said Bjorn “Bernie” Noren, who is Svanstedt’s assistant trainer. “If he goes (1):53 or (1):54 that wouldn’t surprise me.”
White Bliss suffered a bout of colic in the winter and some growing pains during the summer, which pushed back his debut, but Noren likes the way the colt approaches his work.
“He has a great attitude,” Noren said. “He wants to do it. I think the more he races, the better he’ll get.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.