Long Live the Dam of Racing

There is a new study out in the recent issue of Nature Communications that debunks some of the legend that has surrounded horse racing, namely that the three stallions, the Byerly turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Barb that are the "fathers" of all modern thoroughbreds are actually responsible for their ability to run quickly.

Using a combination of molecular and pedigreed approaches, scientists examined 593 horses from 22 Eurasion and North American horse populations, museum specimens from 12 historically important stallions, 330 elite performing modern thoroughbreds and 42 samples from other equid species and made a startling discovery. A specific mutation of the myostatin gene resulting in an unusually high presence of the C-variant, is responsible for speed in thoroughbreds and the introduction of that variant came from a British mare!

True, the proliferation of the gene is linked to the stallion Neartic, sire of Northern Dancer, but the origins are with the mare.

Which just goes to show you that both sides of the pedigree are equally important.

But you already knew that. And now everyone else does as well!