Showjumping legends can now live forever
After the Athens embarrassment, no wonder the sport’s administrators, as much as its horses, became hypersensitive. This week that twitchiness cost Lynch.
But soon every jump-off may feel like one we’ve seen before — word also filtered out this week of the FEI’s decision to allow cloned horses into equestrian events, including the Olympics.
It was a meeting Jeremy Kyle somehow missed nine years ago — the Italian foal Prometea being introduced to her thoroughbred mother who was also her identical twin.
Back then, Cesare Galli, the scientist in this stable relationship, had big ideas. “You could see a situation where you race the greatest champions of all ages — a super league of all the top horses.”
Naturally, racing won’t touch this racket, zealously protecting its breeding billions. But now equestrianism has taken a leap and it remains to be seen where this will end.
Ireland once lost gold in the lab — is that where future medals will be minted? Those of a certain vintage, who slapped our backsides on the lawn to Aga Khan glory, might welcome a second chance for Boomerang and Heather Honey.
