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UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory Launches New Website, DNA Tests

The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has launched an updated and advanced website along with several new tests for veterinary community. As the VGL is one of the foremost genetic testing laboratories in the world, the new site and tests will bring yet another level of global impact to the top-ranked veterinary school.

The new website, which launched June 15, features a more user- and mobile-friendly platform to provide an educational resource for animal owners and veterinarians worldwide. Highlights of the new site include providing a quick summary about tests, as well as more detailed explanations about genetic test results and their meanings and impacts, including references for even more information. The new site also has expanded searchable functions to easily find information about specific genetic tests.

“We are continually seeking new ways to provide efficient means of communicating news and educating on genetic testing and research findings with our clients,” said Dr. Rebecca Bellone, director of the VGL. “This new site now allows us to present news stories and the most up-to-date research, all in easily navigable fields. Consistent with our mission, the goal of the design of this site was to provide an engaging and dynamic experience for our clients to assist in their learning about genetics and best utilization of genetic testing information.”

Beyond the easily searchable genetic tests offered, the VGL's new website also features a genetics glossary, coat color resources, and educational materials like “pop-up” scrollable definitions of words throughout the site, as well as continually-updated activities and games like animal-related crossword puzzles and DIY at-home science projects.

“We are also excited to announce several new tests now available at the VGL,” said Dr. Bellone. “We recently obtained the license to offer type 1 polysaccharide storage disease (PSSM1) as a standalone test and as part of a health panel. This will be important in helping inform horse owners and veterinarians on clinical, management, and breeding decisions for multiple horse breeds.”

PSSM1 is a potentially life-threatening glycogen storage disease that affects skeletal muscles of the horse. The disease results from the accumulation of abnormal glycogen that can damage muscle cells. These excess abnormal sugars can cause breakdown of muscle fibers, which leads to muscle pain, weakness, skin twitching, sweating, and a reluctance to move.

In addition, two other tests that were discovered from equine genetics research projects at UC Davis are now available at the VGL:

Equine familial isolated hypocalcemia (EFIH), previously termed idiopathic hypocalcemia, is an invariably fatal condition that causes involuntary contraction of muscles and seizures in Thoroughbred foals.
Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is an inherited condition in which affected individuals are unable to see in low light or dark conditions. This test detects a causal variant specific to Tennessee Walking Horses.

For more than 60 years, the VGL has been considered the expert testing and research facility in animal genetics. The first genetic testing done in animals was parentage testing using blood protein markers. In the 1990s, the VGL pioneered the development of using DNA markers for parentage testing in horses and cattle and shared the knowledge learned with many other laboratories. Since then, the laboratory has expanded the number of species tested and expanded its portfolio of tests to include diagnostic markers for disease and traits of interest. In the early 2000s, the VGL pioneered the development of animal forensics and was the first laboratory to be accredited to perform forensic testing on animals. The VGL now offers DNA tests for more than 24 species and offers research-testing services for several others.

How to Bet the Belmont Stakes From Home

Relief is here. On Saturday, the Belmont Stakes offers the ultimate cure for anyone who has been starved for the excitement of fast, fun, non-stop, high-stakes gambling. Whether you’re a slot-machine player waiting for the doors to open at the nearest casino or you’re a sports bettor who just doesn’t have the patience to sit through 2 ½ hours of a Bundesliga match, you might be surprised to find out how fun and easy it is to bet on horse racing this weekend.

Galileo’s Circus Maximus Gets Ballydoyle Off the Mark At Royal Ascot

The Ryan Moore-Frankie Dettori week-long Royal Ascot battle got underway in style in the G1 Queen Anne S., with the former prevailing in a thrilling tussle on Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Always prominent, the G1 St James’s Palace S. and G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp hero of 2019 was passed by Terebellum (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) 1 1/2 furlongs out but rallied to get the better of the filly in the shade of the post. Just a head separated the pair at the line, with Marie’s Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) three lengths away in third.

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Record Prize Money in HK For 2020-21, Derby Gets Giant Boost

It has been a season of upheaval in Hong Kong, the racing product threatened first by social unrest and then the coronavirus. But for the most part, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has been able to stay the course and Tuesday, it announced across-the-board increases in prize money for the 2020-21 season, including a 20% bump for its domestic centrepiece, the BMW Hong Kong Derby.

“At a time when prize money levels are being cut worldwide, the prize money increases announced by the Hong Kong Jockey Club are very welcome news, and a testament to the strength, resilience and buoyancy of Hong Kong racing, even in these very difficult times,” said Chew Fook Aun, president of the Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association.

A record HK$1.4 billion (£142.9m/€160m/A$261m/US$181m) will be up for grabs next season over the course of 88 meetings at Sha Tin Racecourse and Happy Valley Racecourse and represents an overall increase of 4.9% over the current season. The Hong Kong Derby, the final leg of the 4YO Classic Series and a race coveted by many Hong Kong owners, will offer prize money of HK$24 million, while the two lead-in races–the Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup–also see purse hikes of 20% to HK$12 million. Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro) became just the second horse to complete a Classic sweep this past March. The Hong Kong Derby will be the world’s second-richest Derby, trailing only the Japanese equivalent.

Five of Hong Kong’s 12 annual Group 1 races will be contested for prize money of HK$12 million next season, a 20% boost, while the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint goes from HK$20 million to HK$22 million, a 10% hike.

“Hong Kong is already home to the world’s richest turf races at 2000 metres, a mile and 1400 metres, and, while our Group 1 prize money is strong, we have nonetheless identified a specific need to increase the prize funds for six of our Group 1 races, notably the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), which regains its status as the world’s richest Group 1 turf sprint,” said Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing, for the HKJC.

Group 2 purses will rise a total of 5.9% (HK$4.25m to HK$4.5m) and Group 3 races will carry prize money of HK$3.5m (up from $3.25m), an increase of 7.7%. The increases will also spill into all classes of handicap races. Class 1 races will be funded to the tune of HK$3m (+7.1%) and Class 2 races will be worth HK$2.2m (+4.8%). Classes 3 through 5 each get purse increases of 3.4%.

“Hong Kong racing is among the best in the world and part of what makes it such a competitive sports environment is the excellent prize money available from Class 5 right up to Group 1,” Harding said. “Despite the issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty in world economies, we will continue our successful strategy of recent years to increase purse levels as necessary in order to reward and encourage our owners and to ensure Hong Kong’s elite races are attractive to overseas competitors. This approach has been a core element in Hong Kong being able to maintain its position as a world leader in providing quality horseracing and has enabled us to achieve between 20 and 26 horses in the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for each of the past seven years.”

Three-time champion UK jockey Silvestre de Sousa is a frequent visitor to Hong Kong on short-term contracts, having ridden 14 winners at his most recent stint.

“It was amazing to wake up this morning and read the news about record prize money increases in Hong Kong,” he said. “It just shows how forward-thinking the Hong Kong Jockey Club really are and it’s happening against a backdrop when the rest of the world are doing the exact opposite and tightening their belts.”

The Club also announced a bonus incentive for trainers in an effort to increase the quality of horses for the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley in December. The scheme will offer HK$200,000 to the most successful trainer, HK$100,000 to the runner-up and HK$50,000 to third, with points awarded in similar fashion as the jockeys’ challenge.

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