Plusvital’s new genetic test Raced/Unraced v1.0 is designed to identify horses with a higher chance of making the racecourse
We ran this test blindly on 528 DNA samples taken from yearlings prior to sale at the three premier yearling sales in Australia (Magic Millions, Melbourne Premier and Inglis Easter) in 2014 and compared the results against their 2 and 3 year old career records
The results were compelling and showed that horses with a “Higher Potential” genetic result were significantly more likely to make it to the racetrack, earn more, win more, compete more and give a higher return on sales price
However, there was almost no difference in the average sales price for those yearlings classified as “Lower Potential” and “Higher Potential”. This indicates that traditional methods of yearling selection cannot determine this particular trait
The clear conclusion is that this genetic test provides new information regarding a yearling’s likelihood of success to owners, breeders and bloodstock agents that traditional methods do not
BACKGROUND
It has been estimated that as many as 30-40% of Thoroughbred foals never make it to the racecourse. There are multiple reasons as to why a horse might never race including health issues, poor perceived ability and behaviour traits but it is clearly a significant issue for breeders, owners and trainers.Launched in July 2016, Plusvital’s Raced/Unraced v1.0 genetic test aids clients in identifying foals with the greatest potential to have a racecourse start in their two or three-year-old season.Plusvital developed the Raced/Unraced test using over 4,000 horses from all major race regions and over 48,000 genetic markers that contribute to the likelihood of a young horse to make it to the racecourse. The tests categorises a horse as either “Higher Potentialâ€, “Medium Potential†or “Lower Potential†to have at least one racecourse start as a two or three-year-old.DNA samples from 528 yearlings were collected prior to auction at the 2014 Magic Millions, Melbourne Premier and Inglis Easter yearling sales. These samples were subsequently tested under the recently developed Plusvital Raced/Unraced v1.0 genetic test in a blind study. The test results were then compared against the horses’ subsequent two and three-year-old race records.It should be noted that almost 20% of this cohort of yearlings had not started a race as of the end of their three-year-old season. The average sales price for these unraced horses was $115,436 with 22 of them going for $150,000 or more. This underlines the potential value of a test that can give a buyer more confidence in the likelihood of a horse to at least make it to the racetrack.
RESULTS
The results of the case-study provide very strong support of the tests ability to identify those horses more likely to race at all, and then race more often. Furthermore, the test data appear to be associated with other key racing metrics in this cohort.On average, Higher Potential horses were more likely to:
Make it to the Racetrack – the percentage of horses unraced was 41% lower for Higher Potential horses than Lower Potential horses
Earn More -Â average earnings were 135% higher when compared with Lower Potential horses, meaning an extra $20,000 on average was won by Higher Potential horses
Be a Winner - they were 41% more likely to be have at least 1 race win than Lower Potential horses
Win More Races – they had an 18% higher strike rate than Lower Potential horses
Compete in More Races – they had on average 65% more starts per horse than Lower Potential horses
Have Higher Return on Sales Price – the average returns of prizemoney to sales price was 130% higher than for Lower Potential horses
However, the market could not value this clear benefit. This significantly greater chance of being raced as a two or three year old and of achieving better success on average was not identified by traditional methods of selection, as there was only a 2% difference in sales price between horses genetically determined as Higher Potential and Lower Potential on the Raced/Unraced test.
The data shows that the Plusvital Raced/Unraced test can increase returns for breeders and owners by:
Identifying horses more likely to make it to the racetrack
Identifying horses with a higher chance of success on the racetrack
Assisting in making decisions in terms of which stock to keep or sell
Identifying stock for purchase.
To find out more about Plusvital’s genetic testing services and how these tests can assist you to identify horses with the greatest potential to make it to the racetrack, please contact a member of our Sales team who would be glad to help.
Plusvital are running a series of free seminars on equine genetics to take place in the UK and Ireland in the coming weeks.The evenings are aimed to provide an insight into the rapid development in equine genetics in recent years, how leading breeding and racing operations have been using these tools, and the likely direction of the technology in the near future. The seminars will also include an open questions and answers forum, providing everyone with an opportunity to put their questions or concerns over the adoption of genetic tools to inform breeding and training decisions across the industry.
Ever since the announcement by Galileo Gold’s connections over the summer that they would use a Plusvital genetic test as part of their decsion on whether to send him to the Derby, there has been considerable interest and comment on the potential positive and negative effects of these new technologies in horse racing and breeding. The aim of these free seminar nights is to present the science in an accessible way, explain both the advantages and limitations of genetics and how they should be appropriately used as a tool alongside traditional breeding and training methods. We welcome all interested parties to attend, including those that are curious or sceptical. Our aim is to give a little bit more detail and allow the audience to put it to the experts!â€
Each evening will begin at 6pm with registration and light refreshments on arrival. The seminar series is free and all are welcome. The dates are as follows:
17/10/16: Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Ireland
18/10/16: Hilton North Hotel, Newbury, UK
19/10/16: Bedford Lodge, Newmarket, UK
20/10/16: Wetherby Racecourse, Yorkshire, UK
05/12/16: The Horse & Jockey Hotel, Tipperary, Ireland
5 July, 2017
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