The “fast horse gene” is the “myostatin gene”
Science colleagues found that horses with the myostatin gene combination designated as C/C are better suited to fast, short races; those with the C/T variation tend to compete better over middle distances; and T/T animals have more stamina. C/C and C/T were more successful 2-year-old racehorses, earning an average of 5.5 times more prize money than T/T horses, the authors said.
For bettors, the genetic information isn’t likely to yield any advantage anytime soon.
“This information is for owners only,” Hill said. “If anyone wants to reveal the genetic type of their horse, then that’s at their discretion.”
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“earning an average of 5.5 times more prize money” – now that is a statistic! If race owners aren’t all revealing the genetic type of their horse though… how do we know this stat is correct?
Still, very interesting. I suppose much like some people are born to run fast, some horses are born to race fast.