by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — Rare white harness racing horse White Bliss made his career debut Tuesday night (Nov. 11) at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, finishing third in a maiden race for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old male pacers.

White Bliss and driver Ake Svanstedt were fifth on the pylons in the early stages of the race, got shuffled back a spot with three horses to their outside, but in the stretch came up the inside to finish one length behind winner Royal Kee Wee N and runner-up Allie’s Dragon in 1:53.3. His final quarter-mile of :28.1 was the race’s fastest.

A 2-year-old colt, White Bliss is owned by Knutsson Trotting Inc. (Michael Knutsson and Tristan Sjoberg) and Asa Sjoberg. He is trained by Svanstedt.

“Great effort from White Bliss as he came in third and was boxed in on the backstrech but finished with speed under his hoofs,” Knutsson Trotting posted on its Twitter account. “So pleased!”

White Bliss is a son of the bay colored stallion Art Major and bay mare Coochie Mama. He is the first white Standardbred born of bay parents since 1998.

He sold for $240,000 at the 2013 Standardbred Horse Sale.

The colt prepped for his debut with three qualifiers at Pocono Downs.

“He has a great attitude,” Bjorn “Bernie” Noren, Svanstedt’s assistant, said prior to Tuesday’s start. “He wants to do it. I think the more he races, the better he’ll get.”