Genetics In Racing

[fintron]

It was announced yesterday on the Racing Post that classic-winning trainer Jim Bolger, together with Dr Emmeline Hill, have formed a company to promote the “Equinome Speed Gene Test.”

When the human genome was finally mapped in 2003 it was inevitable that scientists would use the methods and apparatus they had developed to sequence the genomes of other species (both animal and plant) too. As part of the Horse Genome Project, our four legged friends have had their DNA sequences mapped as part of a global programme that involved over 100 scientists in 20 countries and was completed in 2007.

The rationale behind sequencing the equine genome was initially to screen for heritable diseases in the domesticated horse. However, knowledge of the genome has now been used with a potential application for thoroughbreds, in the lucrative bloodstock industry.

Having performed genetic testing on 179 listed and Group level horses Dr Hill and colleagues have identified three gene types based on muscle mass that they think may provide an indication as to whether a horse will be suited to sprinting, middle distances, or staying trips. It has been suggested that this knowledge may assist breeders when putting a mare to a stallion and may help trainers identify the distances most suitable for their runners.

The question facing the industry now is whether we actually need such tests or are this group of scientists trying to reinvent the wheel?

At present horses are selectively bred, a practice that has taken place for over 350 years. Horses with good health and performance characteristics, indicated by prestigious wins on the racecourse, are used for breeding purposes and paired up depending on the distances they act over. Horse with ‘bad’ genes will achieve little in their careers and will most likely end up racing in a Southwell seller than standing at stud – so their genes are a genetic dead end and eliminated from the gene pool.

Looking at pedigrees, we already have an idea of the distances the resulting foals will act over – but will the knowledge that both parents possessed the middle distance gene make the horse any more likely to act over a middle distance? I personally think the answer is no, and that all the genetics tests do is go around the houses to answer the same question. The genetic tests may reveal genes that control physical traits that make a horse more likely to act over one trip than other, but the current methods of matching pedigree’s tell us that same information already, just in a different form.

The other thing to consider is that the success a horse enjoys during its career is also due, in part, to environmental influences as well as its genetics. You could breed the best looking foal in the world, full of ‘good’ genes, but if he is in the care of a poor trainer and develops an attitude problem which couldn’t have been predicted by genetics, then you are left with a dud. There are also instances where a horse may perform in a manner unexpected by his pedigree, for example he may strictly be from a sprinting family, but may show signs he may be better suited to a mile, and in these cases neither pedigrees or genetics are helpful - a trainer must simply use his eye and assess each run on merit.

All in all, it is my opinion that Dr Hill and her team have created a product that offers no competitive advantage over the current methods and in a sport such as Racing, where change is hard to achieve, will people be looking to alter something that already works? For the genetic testing to work a DNA database of stallions and mares would need to be created and presumably their would be a database established for punters who could log onto a site and compare the genetic make up of each horse for a given race. It all costs money and in my opinion won’t tell us more than we already know. By all means, pursue the research into disease diagnoses, to try improve the quality of those horses who may be predisposed to certain illnesses, but the use of the genome in breeding and as a betting aid is unnecessary in my opinion – just because we have access to a technology doesn’t mean we should use it – especially since what we’ve got works as it is.

[Trotter]

Re: Genetics In Racing I think it would be fascinating......... I suspect there's loads of gumpf spouted about inherited characteristics of racehorses. I mean how many times have you heard something along the lines of 'well, her half sister by Danehill got 8 furlongs, so there should be no problem with the trip'.......... I think a lot of this stuff is self-fulfilling..........a trainer gets a horse as a 2 year old by a 'sprint sire' so he trains him to be a sprinter and feeds him and exercises him and builds him up as a precocious type and he's run 15 times by the time he's 3..........and won a couple of races over 5/6 furlongs..........see, that's proof that such and such a sire gets precocious 2YO sprinters.........