From Brad Coon, Indiana-Purdue University
Fort Wayne, Indiana, US
I read with great interest Stephen Budiansky’s feature, “Don’t bet on faster
horses” (10 August, p 29), on the lack of improvement in racehorse performance.
His quick mention of the improvement of the performance of standard-bred horses
overlooks one likely explanation.
Unlike their Thoroughbred equivalents, the standard-bred breeders have
finally begun to return to the original principles of breeding. To achieve
gains, one must line breed (cross with a relative such as a grandparent, but not
to a sibling or parent) and occasionally even inbreed. This is anathema to
Thoroughbred breeders; I have even seen horses with two crosses to the same
individual in the 6th generation referred to as being inbred.
When standard-bred breeders returned to line breeding, the racing times
started to come down.
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