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The identity of the winner of the 1880 Epsom Derby – the classic race to be run today – was famously disputed. Now analysis of DNA from the bones of historic horses has solved the mystery conclusively – and has confirmed the authenticity of the skeleton of one of the most famous stallions of all time.
How come these great horses all have the same story attached to them….like Eclipse, Phar Lap, Secretariat, Arkle etc……….they all seem to have had huge hearts anything rom 25% to 100% larger than normal.
Maybe breeders should scan foals and yearlings before buying
Not knowing if horses have the same characteristics as humans in respect of the development of the heart, so it may not apply. Would a yearling have a fully developed heart?
Also in infants, an enlarged heart can be a symptom of some other weakness, e.g. Ventricular septal defect, so an enlarged heart may not be a good sign in such a young animal.A yearling would have an average sized heart for a yearling.
I it were found to be 50% larger than normal for a yearling a ventricular dysfunction would show up in the suggested scan/xray if present
Samples of DNA taken from the skeleton of Bend Or, which is archived in the Natural History Museum, were shown to match that of the living relatives of Tadcaster, proving almost without doubt that the horse running under the name Bend Or in the Derby of 1880 was indeed Tadcaster.
I’m confused here; if Bend Or was really Tadcaster, then presumably he was the more likely horse to be successful at stud. I’m rather surprised that there are any living relatives of Tadcaster. Did they stand at stud under their real names or assumed names? The more I think about this the more confused I get, I’m going down the pub!
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysAttempting an Echo or some other scan on an unbroken yearling would presumably require anaesthetic, the inherent risks of that would preclude the viability of such a course of action.
Unless there has been a study of the development of the enlarged heart of an equine superstar, it is impossible to know how that development compares to the development of the average equine heart.They stood under the names that they were recorded by in the General Stud Book. As the Bend Or line is responsible for the continuing dominance of the Darley Arabian line it can be seen as interesting. However as both Bend Or and Tadcaster were sons of Doncaster, it would still be the same Tail male line.
It’s an intriguing story.
I must say I’d always assumed (like everyone else) that Arnhull had made it all up.
Here’s a piece about this remarkeble discovery, penned last year by the estimable Tony Morris http://www.ownerbreeder.co.uk/2011/05/t … -may-2011/
It’s a similar situation to the more recent case of Kalaglow, where his real dam Rossitor had got mixed up with Aglow (hence his name).
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