"How a single mare shaped today's kings of the turf" - article

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Miesque

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http://www.independent.ie/national-news/how-single-mare-shaped-todays-kings-of-the-turf-2998917.html

An interesting, if quite badly put across article. I was mildly amused by the notion that the speed gene was mentioned in connection with shetland ponies....

Shetland_pony.jpg


The next sprinter...........? ;)
 
Thanks for this. Yesterday’s edition of Science Daily covered the topic in greater detail, here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124140105.htm
This is turn sources: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n1/full/ncomms1644.html

Dr Hill’s research appears somewhat restricted to me.

As you will be aware, the English Thoroughbred was essentially arrived at by breeding English stock (itself arrived at through a mixture of older breeds) with the Arab represented in Thoroughbred terms through the foundation stallions. The Arab was essentially an influence for stamina.

Speed influences have come primarily from stock represented in the thoroughbred through the English and American running horse and the American/Mexican Quarter Horse – that excel at sprinting short distances. The name Quarter Horse comes from the ability to outrun other breeds of horses in sprints of a quarter mile or less – some individuals have been clocked at up to 55mph.

As the English Thoroughbred breed became established in America, many colonial Quarter Horses were included in the original American stud books, starting a long association between the Thoroughbred breed and what would later officially be known as the Quarter Horse.

It may prove worthwhile searching for the gene in ancestors of the Quarter Horse (assuming they haven't done just this). I would suggest this could throw some light on the ‘original’ single identified source (a British mare some 300 years ago) from the sample they have searched. While this gene could easily have spread to the Americas research into ancestors further back in QH ancestry may identify independent or variant genes that have influence over speed. Alternatively if the so-called speed gene is not identified in Quarter Horses, perhaps they have got hold of the wrong suspect.
 
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Dunno about this, all the findings sound very convenient for people (no names mentioned:whistle:) in the breeding game.
 
So who's using the speed gene test to determine their breeding programmes?

I wouldn't be surprised about Shetlands being fast - I was chatting to Jemma Marshall before her winning ride at Lingfield today about being on blind bolters, and said the worst and by far the fastest I was ever on was a 12.2 Shetland X! Totally unstoppable and probably would've seen off THE TATLING in a fair fight!

It's fine to come up with genetic dispositions, but you've also got to put the right conformation and attitude with them to give their potential the best chance of fruition. And then hope you get the right sort of trainer to nurture your star performer. It's not quite like pushing buttons just yet!
 
SteveM said:
It may prove worthwhile searching for the gene in ancestors of the Quarter Horse (assuming they haven't done just this). I would suggest this could throw some light on the ‘original’ single identified source (a British mare some 300 years ago) from the sample they have searched. While this gene could easily have spread to the Americas research into ancestors further back in QH ancestry may identify independent or variant genes that have influence over speed. Alternatively if the so-called speed gene is not identified in Quarter Horses, perhaps they have got hold of the wrong suspect.
Click to expand...

Sorry, missed this completely.

The Quarter Horse has been researched in relation to the C/T gene and has a high incidence of C/C (0.83) types i.e. "Sprint" genotypes. This was included in the original paper which prompted the creation of Equinome.
 
Miesque said:
Sorry, missed this completely.

The Quarter Horse has been researched in relation to the C/T gene and has a high incidence of C/C (0.83) types i.e. "Sprint" genotypes. This was included in the original paper which prompted the creation of Equinome.
Click to expand...

This is what I seemed to recall myself. Although I'm not sure how this fits with the current claim. (I've a copy of the earlier research published Jan 20, 2010, which does mention the C/C genotype from a sample of 35 Quarter Horses, although it seems to me that this would derive from QH ancestry older than the 300 year-old mare in Britain... just because that is the oldest they have found doesn't mean it is the original or unique... they ought to be looking further back in QH ancestry).

Did you see the rather scathing letter from Patrick Brain in Sunday’s RP entitled: Theory is laughable. I’m not sure that Patrick (himself a thoroughbred analyst of sorts) has fully appreciated what has been put forward, commenting on the RP article rather than the research itself. I must admit, although I’d disassociate myself with Brain's derisory comments, I do have doubts about the validity and application of this research.
 
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I think that people are misunderstanding the research a little - all it does is show that one mare disseminated the C gene within the TB breed, is does not make her the original source of the gene. She is merely the novel source within the breed.

On the QH question - the new paper includes a study of other equuids and equine breeds and the ratio of C/T genes within those. It is this part that suggests the British Isles as the locale for the introduction of the C gene to the Thoroughbred breed via native breeds.
 
Miesque said:
I think that people are misunderstanding the research a little - all it does is show that one mare disseminated the C gene within the TB breed, is does not make her the original source of the gene. She is merely the novel source within the breed.

On the QH question - the new paper includes a study of other equuids and equine breeds and the ratio of C/T genes within those. It is this part that suggests the British Isles as the locale for the introduction of the C gene to the Thoroughbred breed via native breeds.
Click to expand...

Yes the press has not represented it that well but Hill does say: "we have been able to identify that the original 'speed gene' variant entered the Thoroughbred from a single founder, which was most likely a British mare about 300 years ago".

This seems too much to claim. They may have found it in this mare, but common sense should have told them that it is a leap to claim it is the original, particularly as the sample they have used is not comprehensive.
 
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