Dataset Information

Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Thoroughbred breeders aim to have foals born early in the season, but scientific evidence on the advantages for race performance is scarce and contradictory.

Methods

The association between date of birth and purchase price as foal/yearling, with race performance by the end of the second and third years of life of Thoroughbreds racing in flat races in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland (IRE) was assessed using negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial models on the entire 2014-2015 UK/IRE foal crops (n = 28,282).

Results

In total, 6666 and 9456 horses raced in UK/IRE flat racing by the end of their second and third years of life. Prize money and prize money per start decreased with each additional day beyond 1 January that the foal was born. Purchase price as foal and yearling was negatively associated with the number of races run, while it was positively associated with prize money and prize money per start by the end of the third year of life.

Conclusions

Foals born early in the season had higher earnings by the end of their second and third years of life than foals born later. Differences were more marked among males than females. The most expensive horses sold as foals or yearlings ran fewer races but earned more prize money and prize money per start than less expensive horses. Results from this population-based analyses may inform strategies and management practices aiming to maximise horses' racing performance potential and increase financial returns.

SUBMITTER: Arango-Sabogal JC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9508327 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Arango-Sabogal Juan Carlos JC Mouncey Rebecca R de Mestre Amanda M AM Verheyen Kristien K

Veterinary record open 20220923 1

<h4>Background</h4>Thoroughbred breeders aim to have foals born early in the season, but scientific evidence on the advantages for race performance is scarce and contradictory.<h4>Methods</h4>The association between date of birth and purchase price as foal/yearling, with race performance by the end of the second and third years of life of Thoroughbreds racing in flat races in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland (IRE) was assessed using negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial models ...[more]

PMID: 36185419

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Project description:ObjectivesAscertain the radiographic prevalence and variation in characteristics of juvenile osteochondral conditions (JOC) in the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) of Australian Thoroughbred racehorse yearlings. Establish whether there are any significant associations with public auction sale results and racing performance.MethodsRetrospective evaluation of 1,098 yearling repository radiograph sets. Comparison of sales results and whole career racing performance of the case group with two control groups: maternal siblings (N = 397) and yearlings without PIP JOC (N = 391).Results6.3% of yearlings had at least one PIPJ JOC lesion with 4.8% having subchondral lucencies of the proximal phalanx (P1SC), 0.6% with subchondral lucencies of the middle phalanx (P2SC) and 0.8% with osteochondral fragmentation (OCF). P1SC were more prevalent in forelimbs and P2SC and OCF were more commonly located in the hindlimbs. 51% of PIPJ JOC were not identified on a lateromedial projection (LM). A significantly lower proportion of horses with OCF were successfully sold at public auction (p ≤ 0.05) but there was no significant difference in sales price between the case group and controls. A lower proportion of horses with PIPJ JOC made it to the racetrack to race, although this was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in racing performance between the case group and controls, although there was a trend toward case horses earning lower career prize money and lower prize money per race (p ≤ 0.1). Lesions located in a dorsal or palmar/plantar location on the LM projection earned a lower average prize money per race (p ≤ 0.05) than those in a central location, and showed a trend toward earning lower total prize money (p ≤ 0.1) and number of places (p ≤ 0.1). There was no significant difference in performance for horses with lesions at the medial, axial or lateral aspects of the articular surface.Clinical importanceOverall, the findings of this study indicate that the presence of PIPJ JOC in radiographs of Thoroughbred yearlings should be attributed a low to moderate risk to future racing performance, however certain lesion characteristics may be associated with decreased performance.

Project description:IntroductionObesity is a growing concern in horses. The effects of maternal obesity on maternal metabolism and low-grade inflammation during pregnancy, as well as offspring growth, metabolism, low-grade inflammation, testicular maturation and osteochondrotic lesions until 18 months of age were investigated.Material and methodsTwenty-four mares were used and separated into two groups at insemination according to body condition score (BCS): Normal (N, n = 10, BCS ≤4) and Obese (O, n = 14, BCS ≥4.25). BCS and plasma glucose, insulin, triglyceride, urea, non-esterified fatty acid, serum amyloid A (SAA), leptin and adiponectin concentrations were monitored throughout gestation. At 300 days of gestation, a Frequently Sampled Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test (FSIGT) was performed. After parturition, foals' weight and size were monitored until 18 months of age with plasma SAA, leptin, adiponectin, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and cortisol concentrations measured at regular intervals. At 6, 12 and 18 months of age, FSIGT and osteoarticular examinations were performed. Males were gelded at one year and expression of genes involved in testicular maturation analysed by RT-qPCR.ResultsThroughout the experiment, maternal BCS was higher in O versus N mares. During gestation, plasma urea and adiponectin were decreased and SAA and leptin increased in O versus N mares. O mares were also more insulin resistant than N mares with a higher glucose effectiveness. Postnatally, there was no difference in offspring growth between groups. Nevertheless, plasma SAA concentrations were increased in O versus N foals until 6 months, with O foals being consistently more insulin resistant with a higher glucose effectiveness. At 12 months of age, O foals were significantly more affected by osteochondrosis than N foals. All other parameters were not different between groups.ConclusionIn conclusion, maternal obesity altered metabolism and increased low-grade inflammation in both dams and foals. The risk of developing osteochondrosis at 12 months of age was also higher in foals born to obese dams.

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Dataset Information

Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

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