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A rare pure white thoroughbred foal has been born in New Zealand.
The filly was born last Thursday (25 September) at Windsor Park Stud.
Her dam — The Opera House — is also pure white and caused a stir in the country when she was born in 2006.
The mare, by Zabeel, was the first pure-white horse sold at public auction in Australia in 2008. She had a short career, winning a maiden race before retiring due to injury.
The filly — who is as yet unnamed — is by top sire High Chaparral, who during his racing career won the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Irish Derby.
The pure-white arrival surprised stud workers — she is the first to ever be born at the stud.
“High Chaparral is a pure-breeding bay like Zabeel so we didn’t really expect a white foal,” the stud’s Steve Till told local press.
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“It is a rarity.”
The stud has not confirmed whether they will sell or keep the filly yet.
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.