Speedier Horses!! Dr Patrick Sharman and Dr Alastair Wilson examined data sets going back to the 1850s and also took into account the year of particular races, race speed and distance, how they were timed, how the official going was described and the age and sex of every horse involved, among other variables. Researchers from the University of Exeter went to great lengths to prove their point, looking at more than 616,000 race times run by almost 70,400 horses. A new study contends racehorses are are running faster than ever, despite views to the contrary held by the racing industry.
The power and toughness of horses has long been known by man, which is why the majestic animal has been sought for hundreds of years not only as a means of transport, but also to explore its potential fully, as is done in horse racing. Knowing that today’s racehorses have started performing better could be news that brings joy to most, if not all, experienced equestrians and enthusiasts alike. This could also be part of the reason why more people are starting to take an interest in horse races, with even online betting websites such as GTBets providing a separate section dedicated to horses.
Must Know
- The study, published in the journal Biology letters , found horses gained speed in the early 1900s, when jockeys assumed a crouched position and rose with shorter stirrups.
- There was another uptick in speed in the 1970s and 80s, when more and more jockeys adopted a riding style with even shorter stirrups — but at the same time the industry and science of racehorse breeding also stepped up a couple of gears.
- The data for 1997-2012 shows that performance gains are continuing, despite increases in handicap weight, with sprinters at the elite level showing the most improvement.
- Previous investigations into racehorse speeds had widely agreed that thoroughbreds had approached their performance ceiling.
- These studies only looked at the winning time of a small number of middle- and long-distance races at the top level, nor did they take ground softness into account.
Improved training
- The sustained improvements could also be down to improved training regime, to jockey tactics or other environmental factors, he suggested.
- “Previous studies have shown that the genetic contribution (heritability) to shorter distance races is higher than longer distance races, so it is very possible that genetic improvement could have impacted on race speeds as a result of the recent emphasis on shorter distance, faster races,” said Dr Emmeline Hill,
- She is the scientist credited with discovering the “speed gene” in racehorses, and co-founded a company to commercialise the technology, Equinome.
- “Targeted selection for racing performance traits using known genetic markers will continue to refine the thoroughbred as a population,” she said.
- The improvements over time have not been continuous.Speeds improved rapidly in the early 1900s and in the period from 1975 to the early 1990s.
- This was put down to changes in riding style, but increased commercialisation of breeding may also have introduced genetic improvements.
