TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetics of Thoroughbred Racehorse Performance
AU - Bailey, Ernest
AU - Petersen, Jessica L.
AU - Kalbfleisch, Theodore S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Annual Reviews Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Thoroughbred horses have been selected for racing performance for more than 400 years. Despite continued selection, race times have not improved significantly during the past 60 years, raising the question of whether genetic variation for racing performance still exists. Studies using phenotypes such as race time, money earned, and handicapping, however, demonstrate that there is extensive variation within these traits and that they are heritable. Even so, these are poor measures of racing success since Thoroughbreds race at different ages and distances and on different types of tracks, and some may not race at all. With the advent of genomic tools, DNA variants are being identified that contribute to racing success. Aside from strong associations for myostatin variants with best racing distance, weak to modest associations with racing phenotypes are reported for other genomic regions. These data suggest that diverse genetic strategies have contributed to producing a successful racehorse, and genetic variation contributing to athleticism remains important.
AB - Thoroughbred horses have been selected for racing performance for more than 400 years. Despite continued selection, race times have not improved significantly during the past 60 years, raising the question of whether genetic variation for racing performance still exists. Studies using phenotypes such as race time, money earned, and handicapping, however, demonstrate that there is extensive variation within these traits and that they are heritable. Even so, these are poor measures of racing success since Thoroughbreds race at different ages and distances and on different types of tracks, and some may not race at all. With the advent of genomic tools, DNA variants are being identified that contribute to racing success. Aside from strong associations for myostatin variants with best racing distance, weak to modest associations with racing phenotypes are reported for other genomic regions. These data suggest that diverse genetic strategies have contributed to producing a successful racehorse, and genetic variation contributing to athleticism remains important.
KW - GWAS
KW - artificial selection
KW - athlete
KW - equine
KW - genome-wide association study
KW - genomic
KW - heritability
KW - racing
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev-animal-020420-035235
DO - 10.1146/annurev-animal-020420-035235
M3 - Review article
C2 - 34780248
AN - SCOPUS:85124635488
SN - 2165-8102
VL - 10
SP - 131
EP - 150
JO - Annual Review of Animal Biosciences
JF - Annual Review of Animal Biosciences
ER -