Am I the only one who feels the JC should never allow them in the registry?
I doubt very seriously the JC will change their stance on cloning. However, cloning is very much alive and well in polo and I have seen many a SC horse make a good lower level polo mount.
However, I just wonder, WHY SC? he had a long a fulfilling career, covered many many many mares… had many offspring, and you can’t throw a cat without hitting a horse with SC in its pedigree. Would make more sense to clone someone who had a freak accident, or couldn’t cover mares.
I’m thinking they did it because they could. I don’t understand the reason for it either… They’re not going to make big time bucks off of studs fees. I wonder how much it cost to have it done?
Cloning is very much alive in many animal industries. It is a great way to pass on genes that might have been limited.
My guess is the Storm Cat clone will be used for sport horses: Polo Ponies, etc
[QUOTE=snaffle1987;8249158]
Cloning is very much alive in many animal industries. It is a great way to pass on genes that might have been limited.[/QUOTE]
We know this… but the racing industry is inundated with SC’s genes… Not like he wasn’t dominating the breeding shed for like 15 years…
[QUOTE=BoyleHeightsKid;8249101]
Am I the only one who feels the JC should never allow them in the registry?
It’s a moot point.
The JC would never register them.
The AQHA prevailed in a lawsuit to prevent clones from being registered.
http://www.aqha.com/News/News-Articles/2015/January/01142015-Cloning-Lawsuit-Update.aspx
[QUOTE=beowulf;8249123]
However, I just wonder, WHY SC? he had a long a fulfilling career, covered many many many mares… had many offspring, and you can’t throw a cat without hitting a horse with SC in its pedigree. Would make more sense to clone someone who had a freak accident, or couldn’t cover mares.[/QUOTE]
I don’t know the answer, but your question made me think of an interview I heard with the owner of the ISH stallion Cruising. Cruising was also cloned with the intention of his 2 clones standing stud in Ireland. His owner said she would never clone a horse for breeding purposes who didn’t already have a successful history at stud.
Her statement really made me think, since I believe most people share your opinion that it makes more sense to clone horses who couldn’t reproduce and leave a legacy for whatever reason (death, injury, gelding). Maybe her statement was influenced by the extreme monetary expense of cloning at this time.
It sure would be interesting to clone someone like War Emblem and see if his clone had the same behavioral issues… or the same success for that matter.
Cute little guys. Sorry to hear that one died in an accident.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/07/polo-horse-cloning-adolfo-cambiaso
Just curious–if they did not own Storm Cat how did they get the DNA (sorry if it is in the article I dont always read w comprehension!)
I got excited about SC racing mules until I realize they use a jack on a tb mare…not the other way.
It’s in the article. Chris Young is W.T. Young’s grandson. Chris worked out a deal with the cloning company and has partial ownership of the clones. Unfortunately it sounds like board members that ran the farm and all of the Young’s companies after W.T. died is rubbing off on him. Try to get as much money out of Storm Cat as they can.
Storm Cat as a sire of polo ponies?
I think that indeed they cloned him because they could. Now they seem to be struggling to justify it themselves. In the article they suggest they might breed polo ponies from him.
Polo ponies? I would argue Storm Cat is a pretty poor choice. He was a wonderful stallion in many ways, and I visited Overbrook just to see him. But, and it is a big but, he was pretty well known for producing bad legged, bad throated, horses with bad dispositions. Fast, very fast; but I wish I had a buck for every time I saw an interview with the buyer of an expensive Storm Cat yearling that included the statement, “and he is pretty correct for a Storm Cat.”
Ego, its all about ego.
[QUOTE=drsmcc;8253332]
I would argue Storm Cat is a pretty poor choice. He was a wonderful stallion in many ways, and I visited Overbrook just to see him. But, and it is a big but, he was pretty well known for producing bad legged, bad throated, horses with bad dispositions. Fast, very fast; but I wish I had a buck for every time I saw an interview with the buyer of an expensive Storm Cat yearling that included the statement, “and he is pretty correct for a Storm Cat.”[/QUOTE]
That’s a pretty blanket statement… SC may not be the poster child for the pinnacle of sport horse conformation but we have not had any “bad legged” SC offspring… I have worked with so many of his get and grand get and every one of them has been talented, quirky horses. I never met one that had a “bad disposition”… they just need a certain type of handler, is all. I find they need to be handled fairly, and do not react well to overhandling/punishment. They are not very forgiving of handler errors, at least in my experience - but that does not make them have bad dispositions. However, I will note that they were MISERABLE SOBS on the track/stall rest… but once turned out, they were affable and friendly horses.
They’ve all also been incredibly sound.
I’d be happier if they cloned one of his sons, like Forestry or Delineator for example.
I just don’t see the point. You can’t breed for racing and I have to imagine there are plenty of stallions out there that were bred to do the things they are thinking of using the clone to breed for so no need for that either. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a horse with his blood somewhere so there is no shortage there.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;8253635]
I just don’t see the point. You can’t breed for racing and I have to imagine there are plenty of stallions out there that were bred to do the things they are thinking of using the clone to breed for so no need for that either. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a horse with his blood somewhere so there is no shortage there.[/QUOTE]
I agree. As somebody posted on the PR “crazy rich people”
All cloning gets you is a “genetic” duplicate. It does not guarantee the same athletic ability, personality or breeding quality. Be it a horse or a dog.
I know a number of people who play polo. Have known many over the years. Don’t know any in this country that breed for polo stock. I am always asked to keep an eye out of something that might suite coming off the racetrack and or not.
They all want the same. 15 to 15-1 rarely anything over that. 3 year olds, never older than 4. Pretty much exclusively fillies. Purchase price around $500-1,000. Anything over that has to be pretty special.
It’s not like they are scarce. Not exactly a huge demand for small TB fillies.
Too bad they didn’t choose Wise Dan.
or Cigar.
To me I don’t understand why they would do it, no matter who it was.
To the person inquiring to the cost, it may have come down but 6 years ago when I was around several cloned horses it was around $100k. The clones dont look like the original, but often exhibit some of the same personality traits. All the clones were bred to be used in non-breed competition: cutting, barrel racing and cow events. Two were clones of a great performer and sire who died and most others were clones of geldings that rose to the top ranks of their sport.
