The reputation of Scone, NSW as the 'Thoroughbred horse breeding capital or Australia' is about to be reinforced with the establishment of Australia's first equine genetic research laboratory in the town. The Equine Genetics Research Centre will DNA type all Thoroughbred foals to confirm parentage.

The new facility - – called the Equine Genetics Research Centre – will be established within Scone’s Hunter Valley Equine Research Centre complex and is expected to be operational by April 2018. Building works are due to be completed by the end of this year.

“Locating these new laboratory facilities in the heart of one of Australia’s internationally recognised breeding regions makes perfect sense given the vital functions it will perform for the Australian Thoroughbred racing industry,” announced the Chair of Racing Australia, Ms Frances Nelson QC.

“The work of the Centre will be critical to the ongoing integrity of Australian racing. Its DNA testing underpins both the breeding and racing sectors of our sport.”

“To ensure the Centre met world standards, Racing Australia worked with the International Society of Animal Genetics to successfully gain approval and institutional membership,” Ms Nelson concluded.

The Centre will undertake DNA typing of all Thoroughbred foals to confirm parentage and establish a unique pedigree that is accessible throughout its life. It will also provide services to 30 other horse breed societies across Australia. An estimated 20,000 tests will be analysed at the Centre each year.

Ms Nelson also announced that Dr Natasha Hamilton had been appointed by Racing Australia as the inaugural Director of the Equine Genetics Research Centre.

Dr Hamilton has worked at the University of Sydney as a researcher and lecturer, most recently teaching neurophysiology & equine science within the Faculty of Science.  She is also a contributing member of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ Gene Doping Control Subcommittee, the International Equine Genome Mapping Workshop and the International Society of Animal Genetics.

Source: racing Australia