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December 2, 2008 11:27:04 AM CST

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Big Stud Fees ≠ Great Racers

Posted Dec 19, 07 12:29 PM CST in Sports,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – In horse racing, nurture trumps nature, a study finds. Just 10% of a horse’s winnings can be chalked up to lineage, the BBC reports; offspring of high-priced stallions do perform better overall, but not because of genetics. “People who can afford to pay high stud fees can also afford to manage and train their horses well,” one researcher said.

Winning stallions have long fetched huge stud fees, but the money doesn’t ensure genetic superiority. “There are good genes out there,” the researcher said, “but they don’t necessarily come with the highest price tag.” The findings could have natural-world parallels, too—selecting horse by stud fee isn’t so different from a peacock selecting mates by tail-feather quality.

Source BBC

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A horse gallops through a shroud of fog at sunrise in this March 10, 2007, file photo at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Alexander Barkoff, file)   (Associated Press)
Retired thoroughbred racehorse John Henry grazes in a paddock near his stall March 2, 2007, at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington Ky. (AP Photo/ James Crisp)   (Associated Press)
Racehorse owner and breeder and president of the New Jersey state board of agriculture Mary Jo Herbert shows the teeth of a young horse Wednesday, June 6, 2007, at her Hopewell Heritage Farm in Hopewell...   (Associated Press)
In a photo provided by Fair Grounds Race Course, Willist, right, with jockey Robby Albarado aboard, turns for home on his way to victory in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf horse race, one of...   (Associated Press)
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