The Cosmopolitan Maternal Heritage Of The Thoroughbred Racehorse Breed Shows A Significant Contribution From British And Irish Mares: Mitochondrial DNA from 1929 horses was examined to determine the origin of the Thoroughbred foundation mares. Some historical records suggest exclusive Arab or a significant importation of Oriental mares, but our findings suggest that Thoroughbred foundation mares had a cosmopolitan European heritage, with a far greater contribution from British and Irish native mares than previously thought.
M. A. Bower, M. G. Campana, M. Whitten, C. J. Edwards, H. Jones, E. Barrett, R. Cassidy, R. E. R. Nisbet, E. W. Hill, C. J. Howe, M. Binns. Biology Letters. 2010 Oct 06;10.1098
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