Dr. Raadsma would not describe the plan in detail, saying that the breeder, who is working with a group of owners, asked him to keep silent. Still, most scientists agree that, for a variety of reasons, such research is unlikely to give owners with unlimited resources an unstoppable advantage. Heredity clearly plays a role in success on the track, though the extent that genes contribute to racing ability has been difficult for researchers to tease out, in part because the racing industry itself has no universally agreed on measure of performance. Earnings, racing times and number of victories are used variously to describe a thoroughbred's prowess. Complicating matters further, races differ in length.
Track conditions change daily.
And only the winning time in a race is recorded, making comparison difficult. Heredity, researchers have found, appears to exert a stronger influence in determining performance in sprints, like those run by standardbred trotters, than over the longer contests typical of thoroughbred races. The genetic legacy passed on by sire and dam, however, does not translate into a single trait, but a complex mix of abilities and characteristics speed, stamina, drive, efficiency of movement, the composition of muscle, heart, lung and limb. And there is no one biological recipe for success. Champion thoroughbreds come in all shapes and sizes.