When Paul Megson attended the 2007 Keeneland November breeding stock sale with his young daughter, Valerie, he had his eye on a particular weanling that stood out from the hundreds of other catalog entries because of one obvious reason: his pure, white coat.

To the delight of Valerie, who was jumping up in down with tears in her eyes, Megson was able to acquire the colt for $80,000 from Painted Desert Farm through Rosemont Farm, agent. Appropriately named Arctic Bright, the colt was the top-priced weanling of that session, and immediately captured the attention of local media and fans alike.

Nearly two and a half years later, after much preparation and conditioning, Arctic Bright, a son of Airdrie Apache, is finally slated to make his first start in Turfway’s last race March 19.

Bred in Oregon by Darlene Knight, Arctic Bright is the first foal out of the Reign Road mare Mesa Queen. He hails from the family of 1975 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Foolish Pleasure