Seabiscuit was not an impressive-looking horse, and was in fact considered lazy, because he preferred to eat and sleep in his stall rather than exercise. Most of the racing industry wrote him off after he lost his first 17 races. But eventually, Seabiscuit became one of the most beloved thoroughbred champions of all time.
In 1938, he was voted Horse of the Year after winning his legendary match at Pimlico as an underdog against Triple Crown winner War Admiral.
The Institute for Equine Genomics wants to better understand the genetic components associated with breeding success in horses. So they took pieces of Seabiscuit’s hooves, which had been removed and preserved after the champion died, and extracted DNA, which they were able to partially sequence. Seabiscuit had gene variants that are often found in horses that are good distance runners, but also variants in minor racing genes that are usually found in sprinting horses.
This rare genetic combination of stamina and speed seems to be reflected in the horse’s racing record. The research team plans to continue to examine Seabiscuit’s genome, and will begin to focus on genes linked to other physical attributes.
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