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Dosage

Understanding the thoroughbred using the methods of Vuillier and Varola

Welcome

The study of Dosage dates back over 100 years.  Until recently, Dr Steven Roman was the key driver of the study in the US.  He ran a very informative website called chef-de-race.com.  Dr Roman was a scientist, and his interest was focused on distance aptitude, and much of his work studied the correlation between dosage indices and distance.   It was interesting work, and he had a large following.  The original concept of dosage though was introduced by Vuillier who identified the idea of key ancestors, which he called chefs-de-race, appearing regularly in pedigrees of the best racehorses.  He used his knowledge in the employ of the Aga Khan, and had a large influence on the breeding programme of that legendary breeder.  By the 1970's, the baton was taken over by the Italian Franco Varola who investigated not the mere presence of these names, but the influence that they had.  His seminal work was "The Typology of the Racehorse" and, as the title suggests, focuses on different "types" of thoroughbreds.  He identified five key factors ranging from speed to stamina, and associated these more with the development of the individual horse, rather than the distance aptitude.  The change in direction of dosage from type to distance aptitude was the legacy of Dr Roman.  In Australia though, the main driver of the study has been John Hutchinson of Scone Bloodstock.  John is more of a Varola devotee in regards to the relationship between dosage and development rather than the distance aptitude of Dr Roman, although clearly there is often a strong correlation between the two.

Content

This is currently something of a work in progress.  Please feel free to contact me to let me know if there is anything special you would like included.