Racehorses are getting faster.
Abstract: Previous studies have concluded that thoroughbred racehorse speed is improving very slowly, if at all, despite heritable variation for performance and putatively intensive selective breeding. This has led to the suggestion that racehorses have reached a selection limit. However, previous studies have been limited, focusing only on the winning times of a few elite races run over middle and long distances, and failing to account for potentially confounding factors. Using a much larger dataset covering the full range of race distances and accounting for variation in factors such as ground softness, we show that improvement is, in fact, ongoing for the population as a whole, but driven largely by increasing speed in sprint races. In contrast, speed over middle and long distances, at least at the elite level, appears to be reaching an asymptote. Whether this reflects a selection limit to speed over middle and long distances or a shift in breeding practices to target sprint performances remains to be determined.
© 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2015-06-26 PubMed ID: 26109614PubMed Central: PMC4528479DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0310Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article suggests that even though many believe thoroughbred racehorses have reached their speed limit, the data shows that these horses are still improving, but the improvements are primarily in sprint races.
Introduction
- The research paper argues against previous studies that have state racehorses have reached their limit in speed and are not improving.
- There had been suggestions that despite the variations in performance and selective breeding, thoroughbred racehorses were no longer getting faster.
- Factored into the previous conclusions were various aspects of racing including distance, and potential confounding elements.
Research Methodology
- In this study, the researchers have gone a step further by including a larger dataset that covers a wide range of race distances and also takes into account factors, such as the softness of the ground.
Findings
- The results of the study show that racehorses are indeed still improving in speed, but this improvement is majorly attributed to increasing speed in sprint races.
- The data reveals that speed over middle and long distances at the elite level seems to be reaching a plateau.
Interpretation and Future Research
- Whether this current data indicates a limit for speed over middle and long distances or reflects a shift in breeding practices targeting sprint performances requires further research.
- The study suggests the existence of two possible scenarios: either there is an inherent limit to how much faster horses can go, or there’s been a change in breeding priorities towards enhancing sprint performance abilities.
Cite This Article
APA
Sharman P, Wilson AJ.
(2015).
Racehorses are getting faster.
Biol Lett, 11(6), 20150310.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0310 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK pwas201@exeter.ac.uk.
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Breeding
- Female
- Horses / genetics
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Models, Theoretical
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Running
- United Kingdom
Grant Funding
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
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Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Sharman P, Wilson AJ. Genetic improvement of speed across distance categories in thoroughbred racehorses in Great Britain. Heredity (Edinb) 2023 Jul;131(1):79-85.
- Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. R Soc Open Sci 2022 Oct;9(10):220691.
- Yokomori T, Tozaki T, Mita H, Miyake T, Kakoi H, Kobayashi Y, Kusano K, Itou T. Heritability estimates of the position and number of facial hair whorls in Thoroughbred horses. BMC Res Notes 2019 Jun 18;12(1):346.
- Velie BD, Fegraeus KJ, Solé M, Rosengren MK, Røed KH, Ihler CF, Strand E, Lindgren G. A genome-wide association study for harness racing success in the Norwegian-Swedish coldblooded trotter reveals genes for learning and energy metabolism. BMC Genet 2018 Aug 29;19(1):80.
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