Scientists Extract DNA From Seabiscuit’s Hooves To Figure Out How He Was So Fast
Eighty years ago, the horse famously trounced Triple Crown winner War Admiral. Did genetics make him an unlikely success?
Eighty years ago, Seabiscuit trounced Triple Crown winner War Admiral. (AP)
By Steven Tammariello, The Conversation
October 29, 2018
Seabiscuit was not an impressive-looking horse. He was considered quite lazy, preferring to eat and sleep in his stall rather than exercise. He’d been written off by most of the racing industry after losing his first 17 races. But Seabiscuit eventually became one of the most beloved thoroughbred champions of all time – voted 1938 Horse of the Year after winning his legendary match race as an underdog against Triple Crown winner War Admiral in 1938.
As a molecular physiologist, the concept of understanding how specific gene variants can affect performance, whether in athletics, learning or even how an organism develops, has always intrigued me. Thoroughbred racing seemed a promising arena to study this idea, since successful racehorses need not only elite physical attributes, but also the mental makeup of a champion, sometimes referred to as the “will to win.â€
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/scientists-extract-dna-from-seabiscuits-hooves-to-figure-out-how-he-was-so-fast-180970649/#AFjhqAut0YXEwuyh.99
