{"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"u28R38WdMo","rid":"R7EKS5F","offerId":"OF3HQTHR122A","offerTemplateId":"OTQ347EHGCHM"}}

Shoes to give racehorses the winning edge


  • Forget anabolic steroids, scientists in Australia have come up with a sure-fire — and perfectly legal — way to give your racehorse the winning edge: titanium horseshoes.

    Racing plates are traditionally made from aluminium and weigh around 1kg, but researchers at the country’s national science agency, CSIRO, say the titanium shoes weigh just half that.

    “This means a horse could travel at new speeds,” said Melbourne trainer John Moloney, one of whose horses was the first to be fitted with a set of customised shoes.

    “We’re very excited at the prospect of improved performance.”

    But unless you have very wealthy owners, the cost is likely to be prohibitive — the prototype came in at an eye-watering 600 Australian dollars (£355) a set.

    This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (7 November 2013)

    Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout major shows like London International and more with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

    You may like...