Equinome today announced the launch of Checkmate, a new online tool that checks potential matings in real-time for genomic inbreeding risk.
Recently published research led by the Royal Veterinary College showed an association between higher genomic inbreeding levels and abortions and stillbirths in Thoroughbreds. High levels of genomic inbreeding have also been shown to significantly impact durability for racing, with published studies, led by University College Dublin and Equinome, showing a clear link between genomic inbreeding and the likelihood of a Thoroughbred horse to ever race.
Checkmate is designed to provide real-time predictions of genomic inbreeding in a hypothetical foal by matching the DNA profile of a mare with the genetic profile of up to 10 stallions of the breeder's choice. Using proprietary bioinformatics algorithms, it calculates the potential impact of each mating on a foal, returning a risk score and flagging high-risk matings.
“The goal with Checkmate is to help our clients protect the health of their mares, reduce the number of lost foals and see more healthy foals progress to the racecourse,” said Professor Emmeline Hill, chief science officer. “The loss of a foal can have a considerable impact on any breeding operation, large or small, but by using genomics to assess inbreeding levels breeders can now reduce unnecessary risks.”
Stallion owners can also use Checkmate to check and manage mare allocation in advance of final breeding decisions. Reducing overall genomic inbreeding in a book of mares has the potential to significantly increase the number of live foals, improving both the health of the breed and stallion revenue.
Hill added, “Using return of mares data, we looked at the relationship between genomic inbreeding and the production of a healthy foal from a mating. In 1,000 matings for 28 stallions we found that had Checkmate been used to flag and avoid high risk matings, the percentage of live foals per stallion could be increased from 59% to 76%. Producing more foals would increase stud fee returns for stallions if Checkmate was applied to mare nominations.”
For more information about Checkmate or to schedule a demonstration, visit www.equinomelabs.com.
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