Genetically Altered Super Horses To Be The Future Of Kentucky Derby?

Are we entering the era of the super horse?

An Argentine bioengineering lab has announced its first batch of "super horses" after it successfully genetically modified the DNA of the horses. The goal is to help revolutionize the world of animal-related sports such as horse racing as well as polo, and the engineers may be on their way.

Anyone who follows the world of horse racing knows how luxurious and expensive horses can be. For example, last year's Kentucky Derby had Sierra Leone racing in it, who was purchased for $2.3 million in 2022. The horse eventually won last year's Breeder's Cup, which has raised not only Sierra's value, but also that of its offspring and future colts.

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GENETICALLY ALTERED HORSES ARE GAINING ATTENTION AND ATTRACTION

Kheiron Biotech is essentially trying to take the best DNA aspects of successful horses and combine them together into their "super horses." Five of the newly genetically modified horses were born this past December and are already all the talk within the horse racing community and beyond.

The horses were born under normal means, but their DNA was specifically altered to allow for genetic mutations or to enhance specific traits. Regarding these five new stabled horses, scientists modified the MSTN gene, which is responsible for regulating muscle growth, with the ultimate goal of developing strong and better-quality muscles, thus allowing the horse to run that much faster.

FAIR GAME?

The future of super horses will be an interesting one to follow for sure.

Already the sport has had its share of scandals involving doping, with popular horse owner Bob Baffert having 30 horses fail drug tests, including popular 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, whose victory was later withdrawn due to testing positive for a banned substance.

But what happens if the horses are genetically altered before they are actually born, thus not violating any performance-enhancing drug rules or doping regulations? On the one hand, it's fair game considering anyone and everyone can use the super horses, so long as they can afford them.

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PETA, of course, isn't happy, but when is it ever?

"Were the people who came up with this grotesque idea hit on the head with a polo mallet, or are they driven purely by greed in their quest to create super-exploited, super-unnatural, 'super horses'"? asked PETA UK vice president Mimi Bekhechi. 

But with last year's Kentucky Derby bringing in over $320.5 million in sports betting, and the overall public most likely not caring how the horses came to become such juggernauts, we could very well be entering a whole new phase when it comes to horses and horse racing.

SHOULD SUPER HORSES BE ALLOWED TO RACE? TWEET ME YOUR THOUGHTS: @TheGunzShow