According to a report carried in the Irish Field on September 5, 2009, of the 67,000 thoroughbred foals born in Ireland and Britain over the past four years and recorded in the Weatherbys Stud Book, one stands out from the crowd. That horse, The White Admiral makes his racecourse debut in the 3.50 at Sandown today.

Whilst 74 per cent of the foals born have been described as bay (a light brown colour), and the others mainly brown or chestnut in colour, only one has been recorded as white - fittingly he has the name The White Admiral.

This distinctive individual was bred by Elizabeth Kennedy in Co Tipperary, and having been sold as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland for 35,000 Euro, he is in training with Nicky Henderson.

Apparently The White Admiral is named after the late Northamptonshire business-man and sports lover Lynn Wilson, who owned and bred racehorses very successfully and enjoyed winners at both Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival.

Nicky Henderson said the following of The White Admiral in his stable tour: "He is, in fact, albino and therefore pretty distinctive.

"Our two biggest problems last year while he was in training was that he never stopped growing and that I was petrified if he ever got loose during the long period that we were covered in snow, we would have never found him!

"He always went nicely but just grew and grew and his very patient owner (Miss Libby Reeves Purdie) agreed to put him away for his year. He will appear shortly and will undoubtedly attract plenty of attention."

The four-year-old son of Revoque will be ridden by Felix de Giles whilst Tony McCoy will be on the stable companion, the well-touted Master Of The Hall.